Beyond Trust Species: The Conservation Potential of the National Wildlife Refuge System in the Wake of Climate Change

Over the last two decades, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has come to define its conservation mission in the context of species protection. The concept of "trust species" is now a common focal point for the myriad responsibilities of the FWS. This has become problematic for one of the major programs of the agency: management of the world's largest biodiversity conservation network, the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). A major legislative overhaul of the NWRS charter and the imperatives of climate change adaptation have weakened the concept as a reliable touchstone for NWRS management and expansion. The FWS should build on its culture and history to respond to new challenges that the conservation network cannot meet with the "trust species" concept alone. While management to benefit specific species offers a simple measure of accomplishment, as a policy tool it creates more problems than it solves. Adherence to the "trust species" theme limits full engagement with, and abdicates the FWS leadership role in, contemporary conservation challenges and science. This article makes the case for alternative measures of NWRS conservation success that move beyond just counting populations. Ecological integrity offers a more accurate theme for NWRS goals, a more robust tool for adapting to climate change, and a concept that the scientific literature recognizes and quantifies.