The Endangered Species Act (ESA) began in 1973. It seeks to identify and protect species that are at risk for extinction. After a species has been identified as at risk, a recovery plan is put into place to try and save the species.

As of 2015, 90% of the 1,591 species are recovering at the projected rate, and 99% of the species have been saved from extinction.

Successful recoveries include: the American alligator, gray wolf, peregrine falcon, bald eagle, humpback whale, and brown pelican.

One of the ways to protect species is to protect their habitats.

Protected lands are areas in which conservation is the focus. They can be privately or publicly owned. Wilderness areas, national parks, and wildlife refuges are all examples of protected land.

Seed banks are low-humidity, refrigerated stores of plant seeds. There are around 1,400 seed banks across the world.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault was built specifically to withstand natural and manmade disasters and will have over 2 billion seeds in it eventually.

Captive breeding programs attempt to restore endangered or threatened populations. They are often found in zoos, aquariums, and animal research centers.

The short-term goal for these programs is to establish a self-sustaining population that is large and healthy. The long-term goal of some of these programs is to reintroduce the species into its native habitat.