PNW  Conservations Strategy & Assessment

Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Plants

 Compiled by Rod Clausnitzer, Okanogan NF

Definitions of Conservation Planning Documents 

A Recovery Strategy is a written strategy to implement the Forest Service portion of recovery objectives identified in an approved FWS Recovery Plan, or to implement interim Forest Service objectives in the absence of an approved Recovery Plan. (FSM 2670.5, 18.)  

    A Conservation Assessment  is the Forest Service's analysis and documentation of the current status and distribution of a species, species group or ecosystem. It provides what is known and not known about a species, species group or ecosystem. It also identifies what is needed to develop a plan of action to conserve the species or ecosystem (such as a recovery or conservation strategy). It does not include management direction or make a management commitment. Assessments are often completed as administrative studies with Universities, State wildlife agencies, conservation organizations, or species ``experts'' as partners.  

    A Conservation Strategy   is the Forest Service's documentation of the management actions necessary to conserve a species, species group or ecosystem. A Strategy uses the information provided in the Conservation Assessment to establish conservation objectives and develop the management actions needed to accomplish those objectives. The strategy is not completed until it has been incorporated into Forest Service policy through the NEPA process with appropriate line officer approval. This may require a Forest Plan addendum, amendment or revision, and/or interim or final manual direction or an approved species plan. The management actions must be specific to a species for it to be included as having a conservation strategy completed, not just included in a list of species benefiting from, or not being harmed by, the action.  

   A Conservation Agreement is a formal agreement with cooperating or regulatory agencies that identifies how a conservation strategy would be implemented. It identifies and documents how actions to be taken by the various agencies implementing the Strategy will conserve the species, species group or ecosystem and why these actions will preclude the need for Federal listing. It can also document an agreement with the regulatory agency that the need to list can be prevented if the agreed upon actions are implemented. This agreement must include a commitment of management actions that will be implemented. The agreement must ensure NEPA/NFMA requirements are, or will be, satisfied.