What We Do

We provide leadership on behalf of the American people in recovering and conserving our nation’s imperiled species.

Working in partnership with public and private landowners, our Candidate Conservation program assesses species and develops and facilitates the use of voluntary conservation tools for collaborative conservation of candidate and other species-at-risk and their habitats, so that these species do not need the protection of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Through our Listing and Classification program, we determine whether to add a species to the federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. Listing affords a species the full range of protections available under the ESA, including prohibitions on killing, harming or otherwise "taking" a species. In some instances, listing can be avoided by the development of candidate conservation agreements, which may remove threats facing the candidate species.

Working toward the goal of the ESA, which is the recovery of listed species to levels where federal protection is no longer necessary for survival, our Recovery program develops and implements recovery plans.  These plans provide detailed and site-specific management actions for private, federal, and state cooperation in conserving listed species and their ecosystems.  

Our Programs

Butterfly with orange, brown, and white wings perched perched on a flower head gathering nectar with another butterfly on the backside of the flower head.
We assess the conservation status of species, using the best scientific information available, and identify those that warrant listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. A species that we find warrants a proposal to list as endangered or threatened, but listing is...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
A duck flies over a tundra pond.
We use the best scientific information available to determine whether to add a species to (list) or remove from (delist) the federal lists of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. We also determine whether already listed species should be reclassified from threatened to endangered (uplist...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Condor soars over mountain ridge.
We work with partners to conserve the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend, developing and maintaining conservation programs for these species to improve their status to the point that Endangered Species Act protection is no longer necessary for survival. This...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA

Our Services

The ESA provides a broad and flexible framework to facilitate conservation with a variety of stakeholders. We have a number tools to help our agency work with, leverage, and expand our existing network of conservation partnerships to produce effective conservation practices and conservation strategies on the ground.

Butterfly rests on tall flowering plant.
ESA Section 7 Consultation
ESA Section 7 Consultation 

Section 7 Consultation is the process that federal agencies must use to ensure they are not harming listed species or their habitat. Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to consult with us on actions that they:

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an olive green and yellow frog sits just above some water on a rock
Conservation Benefit Agreements

A Conservation Benefit Agreement (CBA) is a voluntary agreement involving private or other non-federal property owners where the actions in the agreement contribute to the conservation or recovery of the agreement’s covered species. Covered species can include both species listed as endangered...

Adult island marble butterfly resting on a blade of grass.
Candidate Conservation Agreements

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) considers candidate species to be those plants and animals that are candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). These are species for which we have enough information regarding their biological status and threats to propose them as...

Juvenile gopher tortoise
Conservation Banking

Conservation banking is a market-based system for conserving species and their habitat. It consists of a partnership between a landowner, one or more government agencies, and the community of developers and others who implement or fund projects that adversely affect endangered or threatened...

Mojave desert tortoise
Habitat Conservation Plans

Since two-thirds of federally listed species have at least some habitat on private land, and some species have most of their remaining habitat on private land, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has developed an array of tools and incentives to protect the...

View of flower-covered slope with small lake in the background.
Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Grants

Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) Land Acquisition Grants, authorized through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund and funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, provide funding to States and Territories to acquire land associated with approved...

a tiny turtle walks through the grass
Conservation Planning Assistance Grants

Conservation Planning Assistance Grants, available through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, provide federal financial assistance to states and territories to support the development of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs), Safe Harbor...

Captive wolf stands on rock with trees in background.
Recovery Challenge Grants

The Recovery Challenge funding opportunity provides a unique financial assistance opportunity for non-federal partners – both new and longstanding – working on implementing high-priority recovery actions for species listed as...

Two park rangers near crouching over vernal pool. One points at something in the water.
Recovery Land Acquisition Grants

Loss of habitat is the primary threat to most species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Land acquisition is often the most effective and immediate means of protecting habitat for these species, particularly in areas where development or land...

Two curious animals with long necks and what looks like black masks around their eyes peek out from a burrow in the ground.
Traditional Conservation Grants

Traditional Conservation Grants, available through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, provide federal financial assistance to support the development and implementation of state and territorial programs to conserve and monitor species that are listed as...

Our Projects and Research

Species Status Assessments

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed the Species Status Assessment Framework as part of the ongoing effort to improve implementation of the ESA and enhance conservation success. A species status assessment is a focused, repeatable, and rigorous assessment of a species' ability to maintain self-sustaining populations over time. This assessment is based on the best available scientific and commercial information regarding life history, biology, and consideration of current and future vulnerabilities. The result is a single document that delivers foundational science for informing all ESA decisions, including listing determinations, consultations, grant allocations, permitting, and recovery planning.

Our Laws and Regulations

Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Act establishes protections for fish, wildlife, and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered; provides for adding species to and removing them from the list of threatened and endangered species, and for preparing and implementing plans for their recovery;...

Laws, Agreements & Treaties