FEMA Fact Sheet

January 2021 1

NFIP ESA Section 7(a)(1) Conservation 

Action Program

Purpose

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) worked collaboratively with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to utilize its authorities under the National Flood 

Insurance Program (NFIP) to further the conservation of threatened and endangered listed species pursuant to 

Section 7(a)(1) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Overview

The NFIP ESA Section 7(a)(1) Conservation Action Program leverages existing FEMA flood risk mitigation priorities by 

promoting the creation, maintenance, and preservation of naturally functioning floodplains that benefit native flora 

and fauna generally, and threatened and endangered species and their habitat specifically. The following is an 

overview of the intent and purpose for the three key components of the NFIP ESA Section 7(a)(1) Conservation 

Action Program. FEMA coordinated with USFWS and NMFS to determine what actions effectively promote the 

conservation of federally listed species and their designated critical habitats.
National Flood Insurance Program and Endangered Species Act Section 7(a)(1) Overview

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Figure 1. NFIP ESA Section 7(a)(1) Conservation Action Program Components
National Flood Insurance Program and Endangered Species Act Section 7(a)(1) Overview

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Specific Components

Building Awareness in Communities of the Benefits of Threatened and Endangered Species and Habitat 

Conservation: FEMA developed a Webpage (https://www.fema.gov/floodplains-and-wildlife-conservation) to 

raise the awareness of the over 22,000 communities currently participating in the NFIP on the benefits of 

conserving threatened and endangered species and their habitat. The Webpage builds off existing efforts to 

promote the protection of natural floodplain functions, which are efforts that often have benefits for habitat 

conservation. The Webpage references materials on various USFWS and NMFS websites due to their greater 

expertise in species conservation.

Helping Communities Identify Floodplains Where Threatened and Endangered Species Reside Using a Webbased Mapping Application: FEMA created the Flood Risk and Endangered Species Habitat (FRESH), a Webbased geospatial mapping application 

(https://fema.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=c01581a28192417b90b7898ebc323c5c)

that allows communities to overlay their NFIP regulatory floodplain (100-year floodplain/Special Flood Hazard 

Area) with designated critical habitat and species range maps. The FRESH mapping tool helps communities 

identify whether, and what, threatened or endangered species may be present in their floodplains. Communities 

engaging in conservation activities through the CRS (see sidebar) benefit from discounted NFIP flood insurance 

premiums. 

As these CRS conservation activities already exist, FEMA plans to raise community awareness of opportunities 

to conserve threatened and endangered species and their habitat, in addition to also lowering a community’s 

insurance rates. FEMA plans to add increased functionality to the FRESH mapping tool, such as allowing 

communities to see what points they currently receive for certain CRS activities, or identifying additional 

activities the community can undertake to promote habitat and species conservation. 

Incentivizing Natural Floodplain Function Activities and Threatened and Endangered Species Conservation 

through the NFIP’s Community Rating System (CRS): FEMA is leveraging its CRS program to reward 

communities for taking actions that both mitigate flood risk and benefit threatened and endangered species. 

Through a pilot study, FEMA teamed with USFWS and NMFS to work with a few communities interested in 

species conservation to: 1) identify CRS-creditable activities communities might be willing to engage in that both 

conserve species and mitigate flood risk; 2) identify barriers and opportunities for those activities; 3) develop 

guidance to help communities conserve species; and 4) provide technical assistance to communities to help 

carry out these conservation activities. The pilot study allowed FEMA to gain insight into how communities 

undertake activities to conserve listed species, especially those actions that also earn CRS credits. 

FEMA, USFWS, and NMFS provided recommendations for new CRS conservation activities in the interim 2021 

Addendum to the 2017 CRS Coordinators Manual. Two new subelements, the Floodplain Species Assessment 

(FSA) and Floodplain Species Plan (FSP), will be introduced in the 2021 Addendum. These CRS subelements are 

designed to encourage local officials to assess the threatened and endangered species that have range in their 

communities, research conservation and recovery activities for those species where community actions will 

have the greatest impact, and adopt a plan to implement those actions. 
National Flood Insurance Program and Endangered Species Act Section 7(a)(1) Overview

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CRS communities earn NFIP flood insurance premium discounts for protecting the natural functions of floodplains by:

 Preserving open space in floodplains; 

 Protecting natural shorelines; 

 Prohibiting fill in the floodplain; 

 Providing for low impact development, low density zoning, and land development criteria that encourage open space 

and floodplain protection; 

 Creating and implementing a watershed management plan, habitat conservation plan, natural functions plan, or 

comprehensive floodplain management plan;

 Prohibiting buildings in floodplains; 

 Adopting regulations to protect natural and beneficial functions and water quality; 

 Managing stormwater runoff; 

 Controlling erosion and sediment throughout the watershed; 

 Planning for the protection and restoration of habitat and natural functions of floodplains; 

 Implementing public outreach and education projects about the natural functions of floodprone areas; 

 Providing information about local natural functions and resources, threatened and endangered species, habitat, and 

other features in local libraries and a community’s Webpage; 

 Acquiring floodprone properties and relocating them out of the floodplain; and

 Adopting stream dumping regulations.