Species Management

Safe Harbor Agreements are voluntary agreements between private or other non-federal property owners whose actions contribute to the recovery of species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In exchange, participating property owners receive formal assurances from the Service that if they fulfill the conditions of the SHA, the Service will not require any additional or different management activities.

Conservation banking is a partnership between a landowner, one or more government agencies, and the community of developers and others who implement or fund projects that adversely affect endangered or threatened species, candidate species, other species of concern.

Candidate Conservation Agreements are voluntary agreements between the Service and one or more parties to address the conservation needs of candidate species or species that may become candidates in the near future. Participants voluntarily commit to implement specific actions designed to remove or reduce threats to the covered species.

Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances are voluntary agreements that provides incentives for non-federal landowners to conserve candidate and other unlisted species likely to become candidates in the future.

Conservation Benefit Agreements are voluntary agreements that provides incentives for non-Federal property owners to conserve at-risk, ESA candidate, and ESA listed species. For the length of the agreement, property owners agree to undertake specific conservation measures for the net conservation benefit of the agreement’s covered species, that help address their identified threats.

Through Cooperative Agriculture agreements the Service partners with farmers and ranchers to meet wildlife management objectives.