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Habitat Management and Restoration

Landscape-Scale Habitat Conservation and Regulatory Innovation

Client:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 4 (Southeast) – Fisheries & Ecological Services

Challenge

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Region 4 Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (PFWP) and Coastal Program (CP) required expert assistance to strengthen strategic planning, enhance regulatory efficiency, and expand landscape-scale conservation through public-private partnerships. These voluntary programs operate across diverse ecosystems, from pine forests to priority coastal zones, supporting federal trust species, including threatened and endangered species, migratory birds, and interjurisdictional fish. USFWS needed a trusted, technically capable contractor to advance these initiatives while ensuring regulatory compliance, robust stakeholder engagement, and consistent program performance.

Our Solution

Lindahl Reed delivered strategic, scientific, and operational support to advance USFWS’s habitat conservation and program modernization goals. Our team worked across planning, regulatory, and partnership functions to increase program efficiency, strengthen interagency collaboration, and drive long-term ecological outcomes. Key responsibilities included:

  • Strategic Planning for Habitat Programs: Finalize the PFWP Strategic Plan and initiate the CP Strategic Plan by aligning state-level priorities and engaging stakeholders to drive regional and national cohesion.
  • Regulatory Innovation Through Section 7 Efficiency: Develop a new Biological Opinion/Conference Opinion (BO/CO) framework to simplify aquatic conservation compliance under the Endangered Species Act.
  • Partnership Collaboration Strengthening: Coordinate with a diverse set of federal, state, and nonprofit partners to increase alignment and build long-term trust for cooperative conservation.
  • Communications and Workforce Operations Support: Complete a landowner feedback study, improve internal and external communications, and provide workforce planning and implementation support across programs.

Results & Impact

  • Set Long-Term Conservation Priorities: Delivered strategic plans that serve as roadmaps for state and regional habitat restoration across multiple ecosystems and jurisdictions.
  • Improved Regulatory Efficiency: Enabled faster and more consistent permitting for aquatic habitat projects through a programmatic Section 7 approach.
  • Expanded Impact Through Partnerships: Increased ecological outcomes and resource leverage by strengthening public-private and interagency collaboration.
  • Informed Policy and Leadership Decisions: Delivered actionable insights through reports and executive briefings that guided program direction at the regional and national level.

Why It Matters

Lindahl Reed helped USFWS modernize and strengthen two of its most important voluntary conservation programs. By combining regulatory innovation with strategic vision and collaborative delivery, we supported science-based conservation while reducing permitting burdens and enhancing alignment across the conservation community.

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What our Clients Say...

The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employs 220 biologists, located in all 50 states and territories, who consult with landowners to help them conserve and improve wildlife habitat. Landowner conservation is important because nearly 70 percent of land in the United States is privately owned. Public and private landowners are critical partners in ensuring the health and sustainability of America’s fish, wildlife and plant species.

Markets:
Solutions Areas:
Capability Areas:
  • Habitat Conservation, Partnership Development, Policy and Program Support, Regulatory Coordination, Strategic Planning