Missouri Species and Communities of Conservation Concern Checklist

Missouri Natural Heritage Program

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is charged with the protection and management of Missouri’s fish, forest, and wildlife resources. In the brief time since the settlement of Missouri, many plants and animals have declined to levels of concern and some have disappeared entirely. The species cataloged in this checklist represent 18 percent of the native vascular plants, 14 percent of the nonvascular plants, 28 percent of the vertebrate animals, and an unknown percentage of the native invertebrate species in Missouri. Together, the animals, plants, and natural communities represent Missouri’s biological diversity—a natural heritage worth protecting. The Department maintains two references relating to the status of listed plants and animals in Missouri: the Missouri Species and Communities of Conservation Concern Checklist (Checklist) and the Wildlife Code of Missouri (Code). The Checklist is used mainly for planning and communication purposes. All native animal species in the State of Missouri are protected as biological diversity elements unless a method of legal harvest, harm or take is described in the Code. All native plant species in the State of Missouri are protected as biological diversity elements only on land owned by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Species listed in the Code under 3 CSR 10-4.111 and all federally listed endangered and threatened plants and animals protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) are protected by the State Endangered Species Law 252.240. Some additional plants and animals in this Checklist also appear in the Code and are afforded special legal protection.

Missouri Species and Communities of Conservation Concern Checklist

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