Decision Support Framework for Conservation Introductions 508

Conservation introductions can be used for preventing extinction of a species or species population, reestablishing an ecological function lost, and directing ecosystem change toward a state that better supports conservation goals. The framework was developed for use by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region. We will use this framework when current conservation approaches within a species’ range appear to be insufficient to prevent extirpation or extinction. We will also apply it when restoring an extinct species’ ecological functions could improve conservation outcomes, and when analysis of ecological trajectories suggests a conservation benefit from introducing a species not historically present.