As the principal federal partner responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act (ESA), we take the lead in recovering and conserving our Nation's imperiled species by fostering partnerships, employing scientific excellence, and developing a workforce of conservation leaders.

As we work in partnership with others, our two major goals are to:
1) Protect endangered and threatened species, and then pursue their recovery; and 
2) Conserve candidate species and species-at-risk so that listing under the ESA is not necessary.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species responsibilities include the following:

- Listing, reclassifying, and delisting under the Endangered Species Act
- Providing information and biological opinions (through the Project Reviews process) to Federal Agencies on their activities that may affect listed species
- Enforcing species protection under the Act
- Overseeing recovery activities for listed species
- Providing for the protection of important habitat
- Providing assistance to States and others to assist with their endangered species conservation efforts