Because more than half of all species currently listed as endangered or threatened spend at least part of their life cycle on privately-owned lands, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) recognizes that success in conserving species will ultimately depend on working cooperatively with landowners,

credit: Fish and Wildlife Service

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communities, and tribes to foster voluntary stewardship efforts on private land.

States and Territories (hereafter, "States") play a key role in catalyzing these efforts.

A variety of tools are available under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to help States and landowners plan and implement projects to conserve species.

The Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) authorized through Section 6 of the ESA provides grants to States to participate in a wide array of voluntary conservation projects for candidate, listed, and recently recovered species.