Facts and Highlights of the Natural Heritage Database

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Number of Occurrence Records

Occurrence records as of 2/5/2021.

	Number of Occurrence Records
Rare Animals	6,241
Rare Plants	6,763
Significant Natural Communities	2,013
Total Records	14,928

76 rare plant species and 66 rare animal species have only one documented location since 1980.

In 2020, NY Natural Heritage mapped, entered and updated

• 621 rare animal records
• 969 rare plant records
• 119 rare and high-quality natural community records

NY Natural Heritage tracks

• 482 Rare Animal Species currently or formerly in New York
• 869 Rare Plant Species currently or formerly in New York
• 182 Types of Natural Ecological Communities in New York

Counties with Most and Fewest Rare Species Recorded Since 1980

Most rare animal species: Suffolk (136), Jefferson (56)

Fewest rare animal species: Fulton (4), Schenectady (4)

Most rare plant species: Suffolk (175), Essex (79)

Fewest rare plant species: Schoharie (1), Montgomery (1), Fulton (0)

Most community types with significant occurrences: Essex (57), Suffolk (48)

Fewest community types with significant occurrences: Schenectady (1), New York (Manhattan) (1)

The Rarest Community Types

These natural community types have only one location in New York. The community types marked with * occur nowhere else in the world.

• *Dwarf pine plains
• *Dwarf pine ridges
• *Hempstead Plains grassland
• Post oak-blackjack oak barrens
• Calcareous red cedar barrens
• Maritime holly forest
• Coastal oak-holly forest
• Dry alvar grassland
• Tidal River
• Great Lakes Deepwater Community