A new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) framework helps decision makers judge whether moving a species beyond its indigenous range is the right conservation strategy—and how it compares with alternatives such as no action or delay. Published in a peer-reviewed perspective on September 9, 2026, the framework structures the decision; it is not a field manual for carrying out or monitoring a move.
What is a conservation introduction?
A conservation introduction is the intentional movement and release or outplanting of a species outside its indigenous range for a conservation purpose. The new framework is for deciding whether that kind of move is appropriate, rather than assuming that relocation is automatically the safest choice.
It is not the same as a reintroduction. USFWS defines reintroduction as moving an organism within its indigenous range to a place where it has disappeared. A conservation introduction goes beyond that range. Assisted migration is one type intended to help prevent extinction; ecological replacement is another, aimed at restoring a particular ecological function.
How does the six-part framework work?
The framework, described by its authors as a structured process that can be revisited as information changes, organizes the decision into six connected components:
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- Frame the decision and engage people. Define the conservation situation and goal, identify decision makers and interested parties, organize a team, and clarify the decision to be made.
- Identify objectives. Elicit and organize objectives, then develop measures for evaluating whether possible strategies meet them.
- Assess feasibility. Consider both ecological and social feasibility rather than treating biological suitability as the only test.
- Develop alternatives. Compare conservation strategies, explicitly including no action and delaying the decision.
- Assess risks and predict outcomes. Consider ecological and social risks, likely outcomes, and uncertainty.
- Choose a course of action. Weigh objectives, risk, uncertainty, and timing, then identify next steps.
The components are intended to support learning and adaptation, not to act as a one-way checklist. The process can be scaled to the risk and urgency of a particular case. An imminent extinction threat may require faster decisions, but urgency does not remove the need to consider alternatives and likely outcomes.
What risks and interests should decision makers weigh?
A proposed move can affect the source population, the receiving ecosystem, and people connected to either place. USFWS says decision makers should identify undesirable outcomes, assess their likelihood and severity, and weigh the risks of inaction as well as action. Inaction can itself lead to local population loss or extinction.
Social considerations are integral to the framework. It emphasizes early and sustained engagement with Indigenous Peoples, whose rights, knowledge, and relationships to species and places may be directly relevant. Community participation is part of defining objectives and assessing consequences, not a step to tack on after a biological decision has been made.
USFWS biologist Megan Laut described the stakes in the agency’s January 30, 2024 overview: “The decision to move a species to a site where it has never occurred is a serious undertaking. We need to consider biological and social risks such as impacts to the source population, impacts to the receiving ecosystem, financial risks, and impacts on people and their livelihoods, lifeways and culture.”
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Does the framework explain how to carry out a move?
No. The framework supports the strategic choice of whether to pursue a conservation introduction, not the operational design, implementation, or monitoring of a particular move. USFWS describes implementation as a subsequent step that will vary with the species, ecosystems, communities, and partners involved. The framework does not guarantee a safe relocation or a successful outcome.
A related tool, the Translocation Continuum Framework, addresses a different stage and scope. It guides translocation programs through iterative phases, from feasibility studies through later reinforcements, with criteria, tactics, and measures of progress. The comparison is not a choice between interchangeable frameworks:
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| Question | Decision Support Framework for Conservation Introductions | Translocation Continuum Framework |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Help decide whether a conservation introduction is the right strategy among alternatives. | Guide the phases of a translocation program as it develops. |
| Scope | Broad conservation decision, including social objectives, engagement, alternatives, and risk. | Program progression through feasibility studies, pilot studies, primary trials, secondary experiments, and tertiary reinforcements. |
| Implementation detail | Does not provide operational instructions for carrying out or monitoring a move. | Provides phases, criteria, tactics, and progress measures for translocation programs. |
| Uncertainty | Explicitly considered when predicting outcomes and choosing a course of action. | Accounted for while tracking population development and program progress. |
| Engagement | Extensive emphasis on community engagement and social objectives. | Addresses translocation program development; the 2026 perspective distinguishes it from the new framework’s broader engagement focus. |
What does the Sihek case show?
The 2026 perspective uses the Sihek, or Guam kingfisher, to illustrate the difficult trade-offs involved. The bird became extinct in the wild on Guam after predation by accidentally introduced brown tree snakes. Its cultural and spiritual significance to CHamoru people is part of the conservation context.
With the snake threat continuing on Guam and the captive population facing constraints, nine captive Sihek were released on Palmyra Atoll in 2024, more than 5,000 km from Guam. The authors describe the aims as increasing the global population, reducing reliance on captivity alone, informing a possible future reintroduction to Guam, and sustaining support for conservation breeding.
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The authors are explicit that this release predated the framework and followed a similar decision process; it was not directed by the new framework. Earlier examples in USFWS’s 2024 overview include Nihoa millerbirds introduced to Laysan in 2011 and 2012 to establish a second population, and giant tortoises introduced to Santa Fe Island in 2015 to restore ecological functions.
Who developed the framework, and where is it intended to be used?
The framework was designed for the USFWS Pacific Region, which covers Pacific Northwest states, Hawaiʻi, and U.S.-associated Pacific Islands. Its authors say it may also help others considering conservation introductions. USFWS says states, territories, and Tribes may use it whether or not the agency is involved.
The 2026 peer-reviewed perspective reports input from more than 200 contributors, including people from state and federal agencies, Tribes, Native Hawaiian and Indigenous communities, conservation organizations, and other groups. A 2026 University of Hawaiʻi news report separately says more than 250 people across the Pacific region provided input. Those are distinct source-reported figures, and the available accounts do not establish that they count the same stages or participants.
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