The NHNM tracks species that are currently known to be endangered, threatened, or imperiled with extinction or extirpation in New Mexico. We track all species that are recognized as threatened or endangered by the Federal government or the state of New Mexico. We also track species that are species of concern for these and other management agencies such as the US Forest Service and White Sands Missle Range. Many of the species we track may have not been given any formal protection or status. In these cases, our data may be useful for management authorities in determining whether formal protection is warranted.

Taxa are added to our tracking list based on the determination of the staff of NHNM. In general, species we track have either a global or state rank of 1-3. There is, however, no single set of criteria for why a given taxon might be tracked. In some cases, species may be naturally rare and thus vulnerable to extinction. In other cases, species may be relatively common, but showing rapid declines either locally or throughout their range.

We actively collect information concerning the biology of tracked species as well as all information concerning their population sizes, status, protection and distribution in New Mexico. We endeavor to compile as complete a data set as is possible given the current state of knowledge.