Biodiversity supports all life in Washington and across the globe, from open wild spaces to backyard gardens. Washington is home to a wide spectrum of ecosystems, spanning from vast coastal mudflats, eelgrass beds and rocky reefs to temperate rainforests and high alpine meadows to arid grasslands and sagebrush steppe. Our incredibly biodiverse state provides habitat for a variety of native plant, animal, and fungi species, both common and rare. Many of these species, however, face mounting challenges to survival.
Like many places across the globe, Washington is experiencing unprecedented biodiversity loss (PDF). Human population growth and climate change are driving factors for landscape changes affecting biodiversity in Washington. Many plant and animal species in Washington are at risk or in need of conservation attention in the face of mounting obstacles like habitat loss and degradation, drought and wildfires, rising sea levels, increased erosion, acidifying and warming water bodies, pollution, wildlife disease, and invasive species.
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the full range of life in all its forms. This includes the environment in which life occurs, the ways that species and habitats interact with each other, and the physical environment and the processes necessary for those interactions. Biodiversity measures an ecosystem’s complexity, richness, and resiliency.
Biodiversity can be measured in several different ways and at several different scales:
- Genetic diversity – is there enough variation within a species, or geographically distinct population, to provide resilience to disease, environmental change, and genetic abnormalities?
- Species diversity – how many different species of plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms exist within a given geographical area?
- Ecological diversity – how many different ecosystems exist in a given area, and how do different species and habitats connect and interact with each other?
Generally, biodiversity is viewed as an indicator of how healthy – or damaged – an ecosystem is. Biodiverse ecosystems have a high variety of plants, animals, and other organisms that interact with one another and the environment in complex and varied ways, making these ecosystems better able to adapt to environmental changes. Ecological functions like pollination, water purification, nutrient cycling, seed dispersal, pest control, climate regulation, and many more rely on biodiverse ecosystems.
Protecting and restoring Washington's biodiversity
Biodiversity is vital for public health, culture, and economy
Healthy, biodiverse ecosystems provide us with clean water and clean air. They also provide natural flood control, pollination, pest controls, and carbon storage to help buffer against climate change, as well as habitat for fish, wildlife, and plant species. People rely on biodiverse ecosystems to reduce heat island effects in urban areas and for cultural practices, recreation, and physical and mental health benefits.
Healthy ecosystems and native species also contribute billions of dollars each year to outdoor recreation and commercial industries including fishing, shellfish harvesting, hunting, wildlife viewing, foraging, nature tourism, timber harvest, and other sectors of Washington’s economy. The latest participant data about hunting, fishing, and wildlife-associated recreation in Washington showed that, in 2022, 4.4 million Washington residents aged 16 years or older participated in wildlife-related recreation and spent $9 billion on trips and equipment to do so. Investing in healthy ecosystems helps sustain these natural resource-based economies in Washington.
Protecting and restoring biodiversity in Washington is not just an investment in the beautiful landscapes and ecosystems that make up our state – it is an investment in the future of Washingtonians. A biodiverse Washington is one that is more resilient to the effects of climate change, food shortages, pollution, wildlife disease, and more. By stemming biodiversity loss now, we want to ensure that future generations of Washingtonians will still be able to enjoy the natural beauty and resources this state has to offer.
Photo collage credits (left to right, top to bottom): sharp-tailed grouse, WDFW; Bigg's killer whale, WDFW; wolverine, NPS; Canada lynx, NPS; northern spotted owl, USFS; American badger, WDFW; ferruginous hawk, USFWS; L.T. Murray Wildlife Area, WDFW; Sage thrasher, USFWS; West Rocky Prairie Wildlife Area Unit, WDFW; California mountain kingsnake, CDFW; Deception Pass State Park, WDFW; Whiskey Dick Wildlife Area Unit, WDFW; western bumble bee, USFWS; American white pelican, WDFW; black-tailed jackrabbit, USFWS; balsamroot bloom, WDFW; bighorn sheep, WDFW; bull elk, WDFW; Columbia basin pygmy rabbit, WDFW; pinto abalone, WDFW; Chelan Butte Wildlife Area, WDFW; bull trout, WDFW; burrowing owl, WDFW; sandhill crane, WDFW; bull kelp, WDFW; Alpine daisy, WA DNR, I90 wildlife overcrossing, WSDOT; island marble butterfly, WDFW; northwestern pond turtle, WDFW; desert-striped whipsnake, Adrian Slade; Oregon spotted frog, Alan Bauer; Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Anour Esa; streaked-horned lark, USFWS; mazama pocket gopher, Bill Leonard; red knot and shorebirds, WDFW; Townsend's big-eared bat, Bob Davies; West Cascades forest, WDFW; western snowy plover, WDFW; Columbian white-tailed deer bucks, Donald E Campbell; juvenile bald eagle, WDFW; tufted puffin, USFWS; Olympia oyster, WDFW; Oak Creek Wildlife Area, WDFW; Taylor's checkerspot butterfly, WDFW.
Working together to restore biodiversity in Washington
As public stewards of Washington’s fish and wildlife, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) works with local, state, tribal, and federal partners to restore and protect biodiversity for current and future generations. Many at-risk species’ populations continue to decline, and WDFW has much work to do to achieve our conservation recovery goals and our mission to preserve, protect, perpetuate, and manage fish and wildlife. Historically, this work has been difficult to achieve in part due to lack of dedicated funding allocated to non-harvested species (species that are not hunted, fished, foraged, or trapped) and habitat protection.
In 2023, WDFW secured dedicated biodiversity funding from the state legislature to support implementation of Washington’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), a comprehensive plan for conserving the state's fish and wildlife and the natural habitats on which they depend. This includes conservation actions for Priority Habitats and Species (PHS) and Species of Greatest Conservation Need (PDF) (SGCN) - critical work that will help restore biodiversity in Washington.
This funding revitalized WDFW’s capacities across programs to protect and recover at-risk species and their habitats, develop efforts to evaluate and manage other SGCN, and engage in crucial public education and outreach efforts to develop environmental stewards for current and future generations. As part of these investments, WDFW recently launched a wildlife diversity grant program to create new avenues to work with partners to complete important actions for species recovery.
The work funded through these investments will positively impact not only species and habitats, but the human and economic health of Washington. By investing in biodiversity restoration, Washington is preventing costly and burdensome species listings under the federal Endangered Species Act, ensuring the health of pollinators, protecting the habitats that provide us with clean air and water, and ensuring the health and happiness of Washington’s current and future generations by protecting the landscapes and wildlife that make our state special. These investments provide the best foundation to restore and enhance Washington’s biodiversity. We cannot afford to continue this trajectory of devastating biodiversity loss.
Climate change poses enormous threats to biodiversity
Washington’s climate has changed over the last century, with consequences for fish, wildlife, habitats, and humans. These impacts will become more severe in the future as the pace of climate change accelerates. In the coming century, climate models project continued warming, and most scenarios project future warming will be outside the range of historical variation by midcentury.
Continued warming is predicted to lead to accelerating sea level rise, declines in snowpack and glaciers in Washington, increasing wildfire size and frequency, and shifts in our region’s hydrology – with higher streamflows in winter increasing flood risk and declining flows in summer increasing water scarcity.
In the North Cascades range, species like mountain goats, Canada lynx and wolverines are imperiled by habitat loss, shrinking snowpack and disappearing boreal forest habitats.
In central Washington, Greater sage-grouse and Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit populations remain endangered due to habitat loss caused in part by increasingly frequent and intense wildfires.
Along much of Washington’s coastline, continued sea level rise and flooding events are contributing to the loss of diverse coastal wetlands, tidal flats, and beaches, negatively impacting shorebirds like the state-endangered snowy plover and forage fish like surf smelt and sand lance.
Rising sea surface temperatures, ocean acidity, and marine heatwaves are disrupting the marine food web for iconic Washington species like salmon and killer whales, impacting populations of native species like the common murre and promoting the spread of invasive species like European green crab.
From shrubsteppe to boreal forests to coastal wetlands and beyond, climate change poses serious threats to the many habitats and species that call Washington home. WDFW and partners are working hard to help these species and habitats recover, but species recovery and habitat restoration work will become increasingly difficult as species struggle to adapt to rapidly changing and degrading habitats.
One of the best climate adaptation strategies to benefit biodiversity in Washington is investing in habitat connectivity. Helping ensure species have connected habitats to migrate between helps boost genetic diversity, nutrient cycling, and seed dispersal, and enables species to relocate to healthier habitats when needed.
For a detailed look at climate change impacts on species and ecosystems across Washington, and how WDFW adapts to respond to these impacts, visit our climate change webpage.
How you can help
We can all support Washington’s biodiversity in our communities, on privately owned lands, while recreating outdoors; and at home in our own yards, balconies, and other outdoor spaces.
Create Habitat at Home
You can help protect and support fish and wildlife by promoting biodiversity where you live and play through WDFW’s Habitat at Home program:
- When planting, choose native species and try to diversify the plants in each area. Native plants support more wildlife species than non-native plants.
- Insect diversity is the foundation of species diversity. Avoid pesticides to protect nature and waterways. Instead, help create a balanced environment by relying on natural predators (PDF) of pest insects.
- Create natural spaces that include all layers of vegetation, from groundcover to tree canopy.
- Work to eliminate invasive plant species. Native wildlife species often can’t get what they need from invasive plants, so they are less likely to live in an area dominated by invasive species.
Apply for a WDFW wildlife diversity grant
Have a project to benefit Washington’s wildlife? WDFW has an ongoing grant program for applicants employed by public, tribal, non-profit, and academic entities interested in conducting projects that will benefit some of Washington’s most imperiled wildlife. The Wildlife Diversity Grant Program aims to support recovery actions for a suite of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) that are state-listed or candidates for listing. Grant funding can also be awarded for projects aimed at collecting data and information on species abundance, distribution, and habitat associations with priority for those whose habitats are under significant threat of incompatible development, land use, or resource management.
The application window for 2024 grants has ended, but WDFW expects funding to be available again in the next biennium (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2027). Funding for the Wildlife Diversity Grant program comes from a significant investment by the state legislature to restore and protect biodiversity in Washington.
Restore shorelines on private land
If you’re a landowner on the Puget Sound shoreline, you can protect your property from erosion while also helping maintain the delicate coastal and estuarine habitat that is crucial to the survival of nearshore species, from insects and seabirds to salmon and orcas.
Visit the ShoreFriendly website to learn more.
Protect native species and important habitats on agricultural and private lands
Are you a farmer, rancher, or private landowner in Washington interested in supporting native species and biodiversity? Contact your local WDFW private lands biologist to learn if you are eligible to enroll in the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Learn more about the CRP program.
You can also explore grant programs offered by Washington State Conservation Commission.
Prevent the spread of invasive species
Did you know invasive species are one of the major threats to biodiversity and healthy, functioning ecosystems?
When invasive species are introduced to native ecosystems, they often upset a previously healthy and balanced ecosystem by outcompeting and preying upon native species for resources, altering landscapes and disrupting native habitats. This can cause a ripple effect, impacting multiple plant and animal species throughout the food web.
Invasive species’ expansion and success frequently undermines at-risk species recovery efforts, making invasive species management a critical component of protecting Washington’s native fish, wildlife, and ecosystems. Invasive species can also harm cultural, tribal, and economic resources. You can help prevent the spread of invasive species in a variety of ways:
- Report a sighting of non-native, invasive species to the Washington Invasive Species Council or the WA Invasives app (available in the Apple and Google app stores).
- Learn more about aquatic invasive species in Washington and call WDFW's Aquatic Invasive Species hotline with any questions at 1-888-WDFW-AIS or email ais@dfw.wa.gov.
- Volunteer with WDFW to help remove invasive species from affected ecosystems across the state.
- Explore our educational resources on invasive species and take your kids on an invasive plant scavenger hunt (PDF)!
Minimize the impacts of planning and development
Conservation planning is happening around the state. You can get involved with your local conservation planning processes at the city and county level. You can use Washington State Conservation Commission’s online directory to find your local conservation district.
Explore Washington Department of Natural Resource’s conservation planning resources online.
WDFW has also developed a guidance document to help local land use and conservation planners consider biodiversity in the planning process, while recognizing the many other planning considerations addressed by local communities. Read the full guidance document and explore our PHS resources.
Helpful resources
Explore Washington's ecoregions
Washington is home to a wide array of ecoregions, from the lush temperate rainforests of the Coast Range to the rugged, arid grasslands and sagebrush-steppe of the Columbia Plateau. An ecoregion is an area where ecosystems (and the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources) are generally similar. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington is home to 9 different ecoregions (level III).
Designed to serve as a spatial frame work for studying ecosystems and ecosystem components, ecoregions denote areas of similarity in the mosaic of land and water-based ecosystem components -- with humans being considered as part of the life of that ecoregion. These regions are critical for structuring and implementing ecosystem management strategies across Federal agencies, state agencies, and nongovernmental organizations that are responsible for different types of resources within the same geographic areas.
You can explore Washington's various ecoregions below:
Coast Range
Washington’s westernmost and wettest ecoregion extends from ocean depths to the Olympic Mountains’ glaciated peaks. To the north, Cape Flattery is the lower 48 states’ most northwestern point. To the south, the mouth of the Columbia River marks the ecoregion’s southern border in Washington.
Puget Lowland
Flanked by forested foothills and freshened by many rivers, Puget Sound’s ecoregion is home to more than 75% of the state’s human population. It rises roughly 1,000 feet to meet the Cascade Mountains on the east and the Olympic Mountains and Willapa Hills in the west.
West Cascades
Rumbling volcanoes, ancient forests, and a wealth of amphibian diversity are found in the West Cascades ecoregion which encompasses the westside midsection of the great Cascades cordillera. In Washington, the West Cascades run southward from Snoqualmie Pass to the Columbia Gorge, the only lowland divide in the range.
North Cascades
Rare alpine daisies and thousand-year-old cedars are found in the North Cascades ecoregion, which contains some of the largest expanses of wilderness in the lower 48 states. This ecoregion includes the Cascade Mountains north of Snoqualmie Pass and west of the Cascade crest northward into British Columbia.
East Cascades
On the dry side of the Cascades lies one of Washington’s most diverse ecoregions, with open stands of ponderosa pine and Garry oak that abut the edge of the shrubsteppe. Crossing the Columbia River, this mountainous ecoregion continues south through the length of Oregon.
Columbia Plateau
Two major rivers, the Columbia and the Snake, dominate the dramatic dry landscape of Washington’s largest ecoregion, which is also home to an inland sea of sagebrush and the state’s fertile agricultural heartland.
Blue Mountains
As the smallest ecoregion in Washington, the rugged Blue Mountains in the state’s extreme southeastern corner have a rolling high plateau dotted with ponderosa pine forests, vestiges of Palouse prairie, and steeply cut rimrock canyons.
Northern Rockies
The western edge of the Rocky Mountains forms this ecoregion in Washington’s northeastern corner. Made up primarily of the Selkirk Mountains and the Kettle River Range, the ecoregion is bounded by the Columbia Plateau, Idaho to the east, and British Columbia to the north. As some of Washington’s wildest country, much of this ecoregion is sparsely populated and contains a plethora of fish and wildlife.
Willamette Valley
In southwest Washington, a portion of the lush Willamette Valley across the Columbia river from Oregon is home to river floodplains, extensive wetlands, stands of alder, cottonwood, and grasslands with scattered Oregon white oak.
