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Waterfowl in flight, with a body of water below.

Wildlife Assessments

Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) wildlife assessments quantify the effects of voluntary conservation efforts on select fish and wildlife species across the nation’s agricultural lands.

About CEAP Wildlife Assessments

Approximately two-thirds of the land in the lower 48 states is privately owned. Farms, ranches, and private forests across the nation provide critical habitat for wildlife, and many species have rebounded and recovered largely thanks to the voluntary conservation efforts of agricultural producers. Through CEAP, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) collaborates with fish and wildlife management and science communities to strengthen voluntary conservation for a range of at-risk species.

CEAP wildlife assessments deliver site-specific monitoring to inform on-the-ground conservation improvements and generate science support and tools for more effective delivery of conservation actions that benefit priority fish and wildlife species and communities. Details on the methods for wildlife assessments are available on the CEAP Frequently Asked Questions page.


CEAP Wildlife Publications and Relevant Tools

Reports, Articles, and Bibliographies
Fact Sheets: Conservation Insights and Science Notes
Webinars and Blogs
Tools

CEAP Wildlife Highlights

The below highlights represent recent resources and key findings on wildlife conservation efforts and outcomes. Visit this webpage frequently to see what's new, or browse the above publications to access hundreds of published resources from CEAP wildlife assessments.

Conservation Insight Fact Sheet

Can Cover Crops Help Grassland-breeding Birds? Corn Belt Insights from Iowa.

This Conservation Insight shares findings on grassland-breeding bird responses to the integration of cover crops in a corn-soybean cropping system in Iowa. Findings from this study may inform on-the-ground cropland management decisions in similar cropping systems across the Corn Belt.

Green cereal rye, used as a cover crop. There's a house in the distance and a road to the far right of the image. There are blue skies above.

Additional Resources

Charlie Rewa

Wildlife Lead, Conservation Effects Assessment Project