On behalf of the Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce, and in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, we are pleased to provide the following report pursuant to section 301 of the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act (ACE Act, P.L. 116-188). The ACE Act requires that the Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, assess the factors affecting successful conservation activities under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and report our findings to the Committees on Appropriations and Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committees on Appropriations and Natural Resources of the House of Representatives.
In the enclosed report, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service summarize relevant information and findings according to each of the specific requests identified in section 301 of the ACE Act. Overall, our findings indicate that the ESA continues to be a powerful and effective conservation law regardless of the nature of threats that led to species’ listings under the ESA. However, we identified several barriers to efficient implementation of some of the ESA’s provisions and provide a series of recommendations to address these barriers.