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 process is called recovery.

What We Do

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Our Services

Collaborative efforts are critical to recovery success. We provide a range of services intended to facilitate cooperative conservation and further species recovery. Our services include tools for landowners; grants to states, territories, and private landowners; and permits that allow certain activities that support recovery.

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Our Projects and Initiatives

Working with a range of public and private partners, we use a variety of tools to achieve recovery. These tools include restoring and acquiring habitat, removing invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

Learn more about invasive species , conducting surveys, monitoring individual populations, and breeding species in captivity to release them into their historic range. As a result of these efforts, species such as the California condor, black-footed ferret, peregrine falcon, and the bald eagle – the very symbol of our nation's strength – have been lifted from the brink of extinction. 

Latest Stories and Topics

Stories
A variety of mussels in the hand of a biologist
Endangered Species Act
Recovery plan for four imperiled freshwater mussels
They have quirky names and are often mistaken for stones, but freshwater mussels are very much alive and perform critical ecological functions in rivers and streams. We've published a recovery plan to save four imperiled mussels protected under the Endangered Species Act: the rayed bean, sheepnose...
Woman sitting on the forest floor examining something in a small tray she is holding
Endangered Species Act
Snapshot: Rare Spider Monitoring Season Comes to a Close in the Smoky Mountains Backcountry
Biologists conclude the 2024 spruce-fir moss spider monitoring season with a trip into the Smoky Mountain backcountry
A large male Suwannee alligator snapping turtle rests on a riverbank.
Wildlife Management
Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle
Follow a herpetologist into the tannin-black riverwater to capture the t-rex of turtles and learn what it will take to recover this magnificent species: the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle.
A person wearing a wetsuit holds an eastern hellbender, wet after being pulled from the water, in two hands. The person's arms and hands and the salamander are visible, along with a yellow mesh fabric that's partially wrapped around the hellbender.
Endangered Species Act
Recovery plan for Missouri population of eastern hellbender
Working with our partners, we have developed a plan to save the Missouri Distinct Population Segment of the eastern hellbender, the largest salamander in North America. We announce the release of the final recovery plan for the Missouri Distinct Population Segment of the eastern hellbender, now...
A grass-like pool surrounded by rock.
Habitat Restoration
Between a Rock and an Endangered Place
Habitat enhancement? Playing God? Johnny Appleseed-ing? Guerilla botany? No matter what it's called, the rare plants atop a stone mountain need all the help they can get.
A small fish swims broadside over coarse, colorful sand.
Endangered Species Act
Service Announces the Final Recovery Plan for the Arkansas River Shiner
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved a recovery plan for the Arkansas River shiner (Notropis girardi), a minnow found in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. This recovery plan serves as a roadmap for the conservation of the Arkansas River shiner and its habitat and establishes criteria for...
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Our Library

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Search our library for more information on endangered and threatened species recovery, summaries of our major recovery policies, and national guidance for recovery planning and implementation and five-year status reviews.