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Refuge Planning

Comprehensive Conservation Plan

When Congress amended the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act in 1997, it ratified an underlying philosophy that “wildlife comes first” on refuges. The Act:

• Provides the Fish and Wildlife Service with guidance for managing refuges to ensure the long-term conservation of fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats.
• Identifies six wildlife-dependent public uses on National Wildlife Refuges—wildlife observation and photography, hunting, fishing, interpretation, and environmental education.
• Strengthens the compatibility determination process used to assure that all activities permitted on a refuge do not conflict with the refuge’s purposes and goals.
• Requires all lands within the National Wildlife Refuge System to be managed in accordance with an approved Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP).

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is developing CCPs for all Pacific Island Refuges that will guide their management for the next 15 years. The CCP will ensure that Refuge management reflects the purposes of the Refuges and the mission, policies, and goals of the National Wildlife Refuge System. As we develop the CCP, we will also be developing an environmental analysis document that evaluates the consequences of implementing various management alternatives. This analysis will be developed in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The links below will direct you to planning updates, Comprehensive Conservation Plans, and federal register notices.

Active Planning Projects

Kaua‘i

Hanale‘i NWR
Hulē‘ia NWR
Kīlauea Point NWR

Pacific Reefs

Palmyra Atoll NWR
Kingman Reef NWR
Rose Atoll NWR

Marine National Monuments

Mariana Trench MNM
Pacific Islands MNM

Completed Planning Projects

Baker Island NWR
Guam NWR
Hakalau Forest NWR
Howland Island NWR
Jarvis Island NWR
James Campbell NWR
Kakahai‘a NWR
Keālia Pond NWR
Pearl Harbor NWR