LDWF’s Wildlife Diversity Program is responsible for conserving Louisiana’s rare, threatened, and endangered plant and animal species, nongame birds, and natural communities. Program staff conduct, guide, fund, and facilitate research, monitoring, and inventory of Species of Greatest Conservation Need and their associated habitats as identified in LDWF’s Wildlife Action Plan.
The Wildlife Diversity Program maintains a geospatial database of these species and habitats. These data are vital for reviewing proposed construction projects to determine potential adverse impacts to the environment and providing guidance to prevent, minimize, or mitigate such impacts. Researchers and other conservation professionals also request data from the program to inform scientific studies or restoration projects.
Program staff continuously update this database with both new occurrences and new information on existing records. So far, program staff have compiled more than 10,000 occurrence records of rare, threatened, and endangered species, unique natural communities, and other distinct elements of natural diversity and identified more than 350 ecologically significant sites statewide. Although the database is extensive, many natural areas in the state have not been surveyed, and we welcome insight from the public on previously unknown natural areas or elements.
The Wildlife Diversity Program also helps landowners identify, restore, and protect unique natural elements on their properties through the Natural Areas Registry.
To most efficiently address Louisiana’s diverse conservation challenges, the Wildlife Diversity Program employs taxonomic experts from several fields—botany, mammology, herpetology, ornithology, and others—as well as experts in data management. These staff members use their extensive knowledge to determine and prioritize beneficial management actions and regularly inform state, regional, and national conservation planning efforts.
| Nicole Lorenz Wildlife Diversity Program Manager 225.765.2643 nlorenz@wlf.la.gov | Michael Seymour Biologist Supervisor (Data, Botany, and Community Ecology)/Database Manager 225.763.3554 mseymour@wlf.la.gov |
| Carolyn Michon Assistant Database Manager 337.735.8734 cmichon@wlf.la.gov | Rob Dobbs Nongame Avian Ecologist 337.735.8675 rdobbs@wlf.la.gov |
| Dustin Garig Biologist Supervisor (Zoology) 337.735.8679 dgarig@wlf.la.gov | Charles “Chuck” Battaglia Wildlife Biologist 337.735.8688 cbattaglia@wlf.la.gov |
| Chris Doffitt Botanist/Natural Areas Registry Coordinator 318.487.5325 cdoffitt@wlf.la.gov | Keri Lejeune Herpetologist 337.735.8676 klejeune@wlf.la.gov |
| Sarabeth Klueh-Mundy State Wildlife Grants and Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator 225.765.0239 sklueh-mundy@wlf.la.gov | Brian Early Community Ecologist 225.765.3992 bearly@wlf.la.gov |
| Eric Baka Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Safe Harbor Coordinator 318.487.5885 ebaka@wlf.la.gov | Layla Tagert Botanist 225.765.2809 ltagert@wlf.la.gov |
LDWF’s Wildlife Diversity Program is a proud collaborator with NatureServe, which compiles, synthesizes, and disseminates standardized, detailed information on biological diversity across the United States, Canada, and Latin America.