Species Management & Conservation Programs

Pine Warbler Sitting on a branch.

 

Our Mission

Conserve and promote fishing, hunting and wildlife resources through management, education and scientific research.

Division Overview

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is comprised of five divisions which carry out DNR’s mission to sustain, enhance, protect and conserve Georgia’s natural, historic and cultural resources. As one of five divisions within DNR, the Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) is charged with conserving, enhancing and promoting Georgia’s wildlife resources, including game and nongame animals, fish and protected plants. WRD is comprised of four sections:

Division Efforts

Other Information

Game Management

The Game Management Section manages one million acres of land and more than 100 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) for hunting, fishing, wildlife enhancement, bird watching, hiking, camping and conservation education. Game Management conducts research and surveys to monitor hunter harvests, wildlife populations and habitats. These efforts support setting regulations and other management activities as well as providing technical assistance to landowners, private organizations and governmental agencies.

Special Programs

Annual Report

Fisheries Management

The Fisheries Management Section manages 500,000 acres of lakes, 12,000 miles of warm water streams and 4,000 miles of trout streams. This section provide high quality sport fishing. Fisheries Management surveys fish populations to determine sound management approaches and set regulations. We construct and maintain public boat ramps and fish attractors, investigate pollution and fish kills, assess environmental reviews, provide technical assistance to environmental agencies, operate fish hatcheries and Public Fishing Areas (PFAs) and sponsor a variety of kids fishing events.

Special Programs

Wildlife Conservation

The Wildlife Conservation Section conserves and protects wildlife species not hunted or fished for, native plants and their habitats through public education, research and management. Staff conduct research and surveys on a wide variety of wildlife, identify critical habitats, and implement species and habitat restoration programs. Wildlife Conservation also encourages the appreciation and enjoyment of observing wildlife, catalogs and distributes information on occurrences of rare plants, animals and natural communities, participates in cooperative habitat management with private and corporate landowners, and leads the agency's conservation education efforts. This work is guided by Georgia’s State Wildlife Action Plan. The plan is a statewide strategy to conserve native wildlife species and natural habitats before these animals, plants and places become rarer and more costly to conserve or restore.

General Projects & Programs

Information for Species Groups

Aquatic Species

Birds

Mammals

Reptiles & Amphibians

Plant & Habitat Restoration

Annual Report

​Communication, Education and Outreach Section

The Communications, Education and Outreach Section (CEO) was announced as a new Section for the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division in May 2024. Section goals are to provide consistent and sound messaging to the public about wildlife, promote hunter education and shooting sports opportunities, and provide critical training to new and current staff. Section efforts include development and distribution of all communication efforts (social media, news releases, targeted emails and more), wildlife educational programming, development of adaptive hunting and fishing initiatives, oversight of Charlie Elliott Wildlife Education Center operations, delivery of strategic recruitment, retention and reactivation marketing initiatives, education for new hunters, operations of all WRD shooting ranges, development of new shooting ranges and other projects. Information developed, distributed, taught and communicated through this office affects all staff and reaches hundreds of thousands of Georgians as they choose to recreate in Georgia.