Working with State governments to save threatened and endangered species.
States play a very important role in the conservation of threatened and endangered species.
Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, authorizes the Secretary of Interior to enter into a cooperative agreement with any State that establishes and maintains an adequate and active program for the conservation of endangered and threatened species. Cooperative agreements must be reconfirmed annually to reflect new laws, species lists, rules and regulations, and programs, and to demonstrate that the State program is still active and adequate. Once a cooperative agreement is established, a State is eligible for Federal financial assistance for endangered and threatened species projects. The projects must have purposes to conserve animal or plant species that are included on Federal or State lists of endangered or threatened species, are candidates for listing status, or have high likelihood of becoming candidates.