Striving for ecosystem sustainability through preservation, conservation, enhancement, and restoration of habitats essential for the long-term viability of the fish, wildlife, and plants in the Caribbean.

About Us

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.
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The Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office was established in 1974 as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeast Region. We have jurisdiction on Federal Trust Species (i.e., at-risk species, federally listed species, migratory birds and inter-jurisdictional fish) in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI; St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix).

What We Do

Flock of white birds with black heads in flight
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The field office staff emphasizes an ecosystem approach incorporating Strategic Habitat Conservation to address and prioritize habitat issues through partnerships with other federal, state and local agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners, and citizens to achieve the greatest possible benefits to fish and wildlife.

Our Organization

A rocky shoreline of a river. The water is calm. Mist and green branches line the river.
The Ecological Services Program works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, we work with federal, state, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA

Projects and Research

Puerto Rican parrot
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Working with others is at the core of how we operate, and through those partnerships, we develop a number of conservation projects across the Caribbean, from conserving Puerto Rican parrots in our forests to working to improve some of our most important coastal areas. Learn more about some of the key efforts we have underway.

Latest News

Manatee resting in a body of water with a school of mangrove snappers..
  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Critical Habitat for Two West Indian Manatee Subspecies
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing critical habitat revisions and additions for the two subspecies of the West Indian manatee.
Florida manatee swims in shallow water toward camera.
Endangered Species Act
Servicio Federal de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de los Estados Unidos Propone Hábitat Crítico para el Manatí de Florida y el Manatí Antillano en Puerto Rico
El Servicio Federal de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de los Estados Unidos (Servicio) está proponiendo revisiones y añadir hábitat crítico para las dos subespecies del Manatí de las Indias Occidentales. El Servicio propone una designación total revisada de 1,904,191 acres para el manatí de Florida y una...
Snail crawling up a vertical rock face
Endangered Species Act
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Conducts Five-Year Status Reviews of 59 Southeastern Species
As part of the process mandated by the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will conduct five-year status reviews of 59 endangered or threatened fish, wildlife, and plants. 
a black and white bird in flight over the ocean
Endangered Species Act
Service Finalizes Listing of Black-Capped Petrel as an Endangered Species
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is finalizing the listing of the black-capped petrel as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
a black and white bird in flight over the ocean
Endangered Species Act
El Servicio finaliza la inclusión del diablotín como especie en peligro de extinción
Hoy, el Servicio Federal de Pesca y Vida Silvestre (Servicio) está finalizando la inclusión del diablotín como especie en peligro de extinción bajo la Ley Federal de Especies en Peligro de Extinción (ESA, por sus siglas en inglés).
A small cluster flower made up of multiple smaller modified leaves that look like smaller flowerets, shown in the center with three elongated green leaves radiate away from the flower. Other vegetation rocks are visible in the background.
Endangered Species Act
Service Reclassifies Plant Native to Caribbean Islands
A shrub once only known to Puerto Rico and Saba Island, a municipality of the Netherlands, is on a path to recovery. Since its listing as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1994, additional populations of Mitracarpus polycladus have been found on the island of Anegada...
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Our Library

Purple flower at the end of a stalk covered in green leaves
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Information provided by the Caribbean Field Office to help you understand the rich diversity of life of the Caribbean islands, ways we are working to conserve it, and to facilitate the review of federal projects for their impacts to plants, fish, and wildlife.

marron bacora_final critical habitat_plot points.pdf
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marron bacora-final critical habitat-plot points.pdf

Final critical habitat plot points for marron bacora

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a brown snake in foliage
Puerto Rican Boa Virtual Public Hearing - February 16, 2023
A virtual public hearing was held on February 16, 2023 regarding the July 2022 proposal to remove the boa from the Endangered Species List. Transcripts and video recordings will be uploaded as soon as they are available.
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Get Involved

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Field office biologists build partnerships with state, government, and other federal agencies, academia, and NGOs to develop management strategies for the protection, conservation and recovery of listed species and successfully implement on-the ground restoration projects in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.

Location and Contact Information