Federal agencies play a key role in the recovery of threatened and endangered species. It is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s responsibility, under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), to conserve and recover our nation’s rarest plant and animal species and their habitats. Recovery is the ultimate goal of the ESA.

Recovery is a process through which wildlife conservation and management actions reverse the decline of threatened and endangered species and reduce the threats to its survival to the point where protections under the ESA are no longer needed. A species is recovered once it is secure in its environment and becomes a thriving and self-sustaining member of the ecosystem. Once recovered, the Service removes the species from the endangered species list.

The first step in the recovery of a listed species is the preparation of a draft recovery plan. The Service is required under section 4(f)(1) of the ESA to prepare recovery plans for newly listed species, unless it finds that such a plan will not promote the conservation of the species. A recovery plan may be prepared by Service biologists, public and private agencies and institutions, and other qualified species experts.

Once the draft plan is developed, we post a notice within the Federal Register and request public comment. When the plan is approved, we implement the actions under the recovery plan and start the recovery process. Recovery plans may be found on the Service’s Threatened and Endangered Species System (TESS).

The conservation of species and their habitats is a Service-wide commitment. It is also a commitment among the various partners whose efforts we depend on for the benefit of our trust fish and wildlife resources.