Why does the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) manage this system?
The VDGIF is mandated to protect Virginia’s wildlife. One of the ways we have chosen to do that is by making information about these species available to those who need it through the VaFWIS. • What is the definition of “wildlife”? The Code of Virginia states that wildlife includes any species in the animal kingdom. So, this means that the VDGIF has jurisdiction over fish, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, mollusks, other terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates and all insects except those listed as threatened, endangered or candidate. • Who protects threatened, endangered and candidate listed insects? The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). • Who protects plants? Threatened and endangered plants are managed by VDACS. All other plants are responsibility of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) • Are plant and insect data available through the VaFWIS? There are some old plant and threatened and endangered insect data on the VaFWIS,
