• Conducting assessments to identify species most in need of the ESA’s protection.
  
• Working through partnerships to conserve these species by improving habitat and removing threats.

Species Assessments – Identify candidates for listing and provides conservation recommendations that can remove and reduce threats so that listing them will be unnecessary.

• Process emphasizes coordination with States to obtain the best available information on species status and recommendations for conservation.
• Provides the foundation for planning and implementing voluntary conservation efforts that are most likely to be effective in making listing unnecessary.

Cooperative Conservation – Through a broad suite of public and private partners, provide technical assistance and leverage funding for conservation of candidate and other at-risk species.

• Provide information to guide strategic approaches to ensure voluntary efforts occur where they are most needed and most likely to be effective in making listing unnecessary.
• Facilitate development and implementation of Candidate Conservation Agreements and Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances.
• Leverage resources by facilitating funding for landowners to engage in voluntary conservation (e.g. through various FWS grants and agreements, Farm Bill programs, DOD progams).