As many species currently listed as federally endangered or threatened spend at least part of their life cycle on non-federal lands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) recognizes that recovery success will ultimately depend on working cooperatively with states and territories to foster voluntary stewardship efforts on non-federal lands.
A variety of tools are available under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to help states and territories plan and implement projects to conserve species. One of the tools, the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (section 6 of the ESA), provides grants to states and territories to participate in a wide array of voluntary conservation projects for listed, candidate, and at-risk species.