Conservation and Enforcement

What this funds

Maintaining America's access to valuable natural resources, whether for enjoyment, economic growth, or security, requires coordinated and effective conservation efforts both domestically and abroad. Through the International Affairs program, the US Fish and Wildlife Service supports conservation efforts that mitigate threats to species' survival in their native habitat and strengthen global partners' capacity to manage and protect their native wildlife; provides leadership in global wildlife management policy; and implements laws and regulations in the United States to ensure the international trade in wild plants and animals is legal, traceable, and biologically sustainable. The program prioritizes conservation efforts with direct ties to United States national interests. Through its International Conservation program, the US Fish and Wildlife Service addresses threats to wildlife species in their native countries through targeted assistance and partnerships, building self-reliance of foreign governments to protect these species in their native habitats, and fostering interagency collaboration to combat illegal wildlife trafficking and address other identified threats. The Service's International Wildlife Trade program protects at-risk animal and plant species in several ways: It ensures protections under the Endangered Species Act reflect changing threats; evaluates international and interstate permit applications for activities ranging from scientific research to the importation of sport- hunted trophies, wildlife and plant products, and live animals and plants; and negotiates with and supports foreign governments to improve their compliance with CITES and other relevant agreements. These actions strengthen the work of key Service programs such as the Office of Law Enforcement, which implements wildlife laws, investigates violations, and supports prosecution of criminals, including in partnership with foreign government agencies, through extradition. The Service's work in the International Affairs program encompasses numerous native species whose ranges extend beyond U.S. borders, such as monarch butterflies, marine mammals, and marine turtles. It also encompasses native species of animals and plants that are traded internationally, such as American conservation of these species and their habitats provides concrete benefits to Americans and to the U.S. economy. The Service works closely with State agencies and Tribes to ensure that wildlife trade involving U.S. native species is legal, traceable, and biologically sustainable and that U.S. businesses can compete internationally through a scientifically robust yet efficient permit process. Conserving Priority Species and Habitats of Value and Concern to the American Public International Affairs works to safeguard native species from the potential negative impacts of unsustainable international trade and strengthen the Service's capacity to tackle conservation challenges that affect the health and viability of species that are important to the U.S. economy and have intrinsic value to the American people. The Service works with partners to find innovative solutions to mitigate threats to species' survival in the wild, improve compliance with CITES among foreign partners, and build national sovereignty and self-reliance in wildlife management globally. This global approach supports critical wildlife populations in the US, promoting long-term benefits to people, ecosystems, and economies within the United States and for our global partners. International Wildlife Trade Strategies Sustainable Use of Wildlife The United States is one of the world's largest legal importers and exporters of wildlife and wildlife products from live plants and animals to timber and other products. To facilitate legal, traceable trade between the United States and other CITES Parties (currently 185 Parties, including 184 countries and the European Union) and ensure such trade does not threaten the survival of CITES-listed animals and plants in the wild, the Service serves as the U.S. CITES Management and Scientific Authorities. Each Party to the treaty is required to designate one or more Management and Scientific Authorities to make legal and scientific non-detriment opinions, issue CITES permits and certificates based on these opinions and monitor trade. For the United States, these authorities are delegated to the Service's International Affairs Innovating and Improving a Responsive and Efficient Permitting Process The Service's conservation permitting program managed through the International Affairs program issues 185 different types of permits. Staff process an average of 17,000 permits or certificates per year under CITES and other permitting authorities. In 2025, the permits issued by this program facilitated more than $1 billion in imports and exports of CITES-listed wildlife and plants. The permits and certificates authorize a wide variety of activities, such as import, export, re-export, and introduction from the sea; captive breeding of non-native species; and interstate commerce. This permitting work supports Service's efforts in supporting the U.S. economy, small business, and local livelihoods dependent on our renewable natural resources. In addition, this work is a component of the Service's efforts to prevent emerging pandemics, as permits facilitate the import and re-export of biological samples needed for medical research, including studies preventing future outbreaks of zoonotic diseases. The Service is carrying out a permit improvement plan to modernize its International Affairs permitting program, reduce processing delays, and meet current and future needs of the American public. Where appropriate, steps will be automated, revised, or removed to speed up and standardize processing time and The 2027 budget request for International Affairs is $20,519,000 and 42 FTE, a program change of - International Conservation Activities (-$2,317,000/ -7 FTE) - The Service will deliver technical assistance to support high-priority targeted and evidence-based interventions that support the compliance and enforcement of CITES and innovative interventions to address critical threats to wildlife. The Service will also coordinate engagement with partners on implementation of international agreements and the provision of targeted technical assistance to build capacity for effective resource management. Wildlife Trafficking (-$89,000/ -0 FTE) - The Service will provide technical assistance to support coordination on countertrafficking efforts across the Service and U.S. government partners as well as to build capacity to tackle illegal wildlife crimes before they reach U.S. borders. International Wildlife Trade Activities (-$3,115,000/ -7 FTE) - The Service will maintain the United States' leadership in international conservation by leading efforts to implement decisions made at CITES CoP20 within the required timeframes, and working with stakeholder groups to reduce burdens arising from any changes. The Service will continue to coordinate across Federal agencies and consult with States, Tribes, industry, and other stakeholders to implement changes, shape and support national

Extracted from Fish and Wildlife Service, p. 25. Verbatim; nothing here is paraphrased.

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