A conservation introduction is the intentional movement and release or outplanting of a species outside its indigenous range for the purpose of conservation. It is one strategy that can be used when conservation practitioners are working to:

1. Prevent extinction of a species or extirpation of a population or populations

2. Re-establish an ecological function lost through extinction, or

3. Direct ecological change toward a state that better supports conservation goals in an ecosystem undergoing transformation.

While conservation introduction, assisted migration, re-introduction, and population augmentation are all types of translocations, subtle differences exist with respect to the "why” and “where.”  Find the IUCN definitions of each term below:

Translocation: the intentional movement and release of a living organism where the primary objective is a conservation benefit: this will usually involve improving the conservation status of the focal species locally or globally, and/or restoring natural ecosystem functions or processes. There are many different types of translocations including conservation introduction, assisted migration, ecological replacement, re-introduction, population augmentation, and more.

• Re-introduction: is the intentional movement and release of an organism inside its indigenous range from which it has disappeared. This is not a form of conservation introduction.
• Population augmentation or reinforcement: is the translocation of an organism into an existing population of members of the same species for the purpose of enhancing population viability, for instance by increasing population size, by increasing genetic diversity, or by increasing the representation of specific demographic groups or stages. This is not a form of conservation introduction.
• Conservation Introduction: is the intentional movement and release or outplanting of a species outside its indigenous range for the purpose of conservation.
  • Assisted migration: is the intentional movement and release of an organism outside its indigenous range to avoid extinction of populations of the focal species. This is a form of conservation introduction.
  • Ecological replacement: is the intentional movement and release of an organism outside its indigenous range to perform a specific ecological function. This is a form of conservation introduction.

The purpose of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Decision Support Framework for Conservation Introductions (framework) is to serve as a tool for conservation practitioners to make inclusive, transparent, and defensible decisions about when to use conservation introductions as a strategy for the purpose of one or more of the following: 

1. Preventing extinction of a species or extirpation of a population or populations
2. Re-establishing an ecological function lost through extinction
3. Directing ecological change toward a state that better supports conservation goals in an ecosystem undergoing transformation.

As climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change continues to alter species’ habitats and the natural processes on which they depend, conservation practitioners’ ability to use historical and current conditions as guides for species conservation and habitat restoration is diminishing. We are making increasingly challenging conservation decisions to preserve biodiversity and healthy ecosystems. Conservation introductions as a strategy for species survival and ecosystem function will become more common, and more pressing, in the years to come.

Recently published research on the perspectives of Pacific Region USFWS personnel on conservation introductions found that most of those interviewed saw conservation introductions as necessary, but also riskier than moving species within their historical range. The research concluded that a need exists for clear guidance on evaluating conservation introduction as a suitable management tool.

This framework was drafted by a working group of subject matter specialists in the USFWS with feedback from over 200 partners and interested parties from state and federal agencies, Tribes, NGOs, and other organizations in the Pacific Northwest and Pacific Islands. In 2022, the working group hosted regional workshops with partners and interested parties that provided the foundation for the framework’s design. In Spring of 2023, the framework was reviewed by seven national and international peer reviewers. In Summer 2023, the working group held follow-up sessions with partners and interested parties in the Pacific Northwest, the Pacific Islands, and with Pacific Northwest Tribes to invite verbal and written feedback on the draft framework. The working group incorporated feedback into the framework in late summer/early fall of 2023, finalized the framework in late fall 2023, and held webinars with these same groups to share the updated framework and describe how feedback was incorporated into the final design.

The framework reflects the best available information about both decision-making and conservation introductions. Throughout the development process, the working group considered and incorporated existing guidelines, decision frameworks, and other relevant information.  Examples include the 2013 International Union of Conservation of Nature "Guidelines for Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations" and the National Research Council recommendations for decision frameworks. 

The framework is specifically for use by the USFWS in the Pacific Region.  However, others, such as states, territories, or Tribes considering a conservation introduction, are welcome to use this framework to aid their conservation decisions, whether or not the USFWS is involved.

As climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change continues to alter species’ habitats and the natural processes on which they depend, the ability for conservation practitioners to use historical and current conditions to preserve biodiversity and healthy ecosystems is increasingly limited. While the conservation community is facing these challenges around the globe, island ecosystems and the practitioners tasked with preserving them are facing imminent extinctions more frequently. This is due to the inherently high vulnerability of species and ecosystems that have evolved in relatively small and isolated areas. The USFWS Pacific Region includes more islands, and more endangered species, than any other.

All lands and waters in the United States and the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands are the original homelands of one or more Indigenous Peoples, therefore conservation introductions or alternative conservation actions will have impacts on Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Peoples may also hold rights and/or knowledge related to species and places under consideration for a conservation introduction.  As such, this framework emphasizes the importance of early and sustained engagement with Indigenous Peoples, as well as with other interested parties. Such engagement is one way that Indigenous Knowledges may be included as evidence and science in the framework process. This engagement is also part of fulfilling trust responsibilities to Indigenous Peoples. The responsibilities of USFWS employees for engagement and co-stewardship with Indigenous Peoples and Tribal Nations are further described in Director’s Order 227, Fulfilling the Trust Responsibility to Tribes and the Native Hawaiian Community, and Other Obligations to Alaska Native Corporations and Alaska Native Organizations, in the Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters.

Any conservation introduction involves risk. Assessing risks and weighing them with their associated trade-offs is a critical step in decision-making  about conservation introductions. Step 5 of the framework instructs decision makers to conduct a risk assessment that identifies risk factors, assesses the probability of any undesirable outcomes occurring, and the severity of potential impacts. Based on the results of the risk assessment, decision makers can come to a decision that minimizes risk and maximizes benefit for the species, ecosystems, and the human communities that will be affected by the decision. Risk assessments for a conservation introduction should also consider the risks of doing nothing which may include extirpation of a population or extinction of a species. 

Yes. Conservation introductions have already happened around the globe. The design of this framework was informed by lessons learned from past efforts. As climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change continues to alter species’ habitats and the natural processes on which they depend, considerations for conservation introductions as a strategy for species survival will become more common and pressing in the years to come. Moving forward, we hope this framework helps the conservation community make inclusive, transparent and defensible decisions about whether or not to pursue a conservation introduction as a conservation strategy.

No. This framework supports the decision-making process. Implementation is a subsequent step that will vary depending on the species, ecosystems, communities, and partners engaged in the process.