The DEWAP will be periodically reviewed and revised according to the development and implementation timeframes of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control – Division of Fish and Wildlife (DNREC DFW) and partners scheduled programs and updates (Element 6). This will be necessary as the monitoring components discussed in this chapter contribute to the adaptive management of this plan.

Federal Grant Agreement reporting process, now through TRACS, offers an effective way to review and revise the accomplishments of the DEWAP. Since this is an existing DNREC process, it will assist in the DEWAP database updates and project reporting. Annual coordination with partners will provide their accomplishment information.

As data gaps are filled, new ones will be identified. The resulting increases in scientific knowledge on which this DEWAP is based will keep it as up-to-date as possible. The plan is predicated upon the changing state of knowledge and is recognized as a dynamic document. Successful implementation of conservation measures and reduction in the threats facing the SGCN and key habitats will allow DNREC DFW and its partners to be able to make better, informed management decisions and maintain efficient use of limited funding and staffing resources. The many operational, conservation and management plans already in existence provide opportunities to regularly review and revise the DEWAP within the current DNREC administrative framework.

Delaware will use the annual performance report requirement for State Wildlife Grant (SWG), Pittman-Robertson, and Dingell-Johnson funded projects as a basis for an annual assessment toward achieving DEWAP objectives. It will also utilize existing monitoring programs in place and develop new ones as listed in the priority conservation actions Conservation Actions.

A comprehensive review of the entire DEWAP and creation of a new updated document will be completed in 2035. Input from conservation partners and the public will be sought using methods similar to those used in the development of the 2025 DEWAP and following any recent guidance.

The DEWAP evaluation, review and revision schedule will have the following benchmarks:

• Annual reporting for SWG and other Federal Aid grant requirements and product delivery through TRACS
• Annual input and incorporation of data and GIS to DNREC and partner databases;
• Annual tracking of species and habitat status (DNREC DFW data programs and GIS);
• Annual incorporation and updates with priority WAP Conservation Actions into DNREC programs’ plans;
• Annual engagement with partners to review implementation of DEWAP;
• Every five years or as needed: status review of SGCN;
• Monitoring and evaluation review at multiple time and geospatial scales according to DNREC;
• Complete revision in 10 years, incorporating the above interim updates/reviews of identified sections.

DEWAP Review Process Adaptive Management

Many of the existing conservation and management plans in Delaware are adaptive in nature and have regularly scheduled reviews. The need to revisit conservation plans periodically, updating them to reflect new information, additional programs, and changing conditions is also recognized by several international, national, and regional management plans. As necessary, Plans used to inform the DEWAP will be targeted for DEWAP information incorporation into their revisions, just as revision of these plans will be incorporated into the DEWAP review and revision process.

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