Editors' Summary: Most popular and scholarly attention paid to biodiversity conservation has focused on federal efforts such as the ESA or international regimes like CITES. However, U.S. states have long taken action to protect biodiversity before the federal government. In this Article, Susan George discusses states'roles in biodiversity conservation, including jurisdictional issues and the authority upon which the states base their programs, new protection efforts, and what can be expected from states in the coming years. [Editors' Note: This Article appears in the book Biodiversity Conservation Handbook, by Robert B. McKinstry Jr., Coreen M. Ripp, and Emily Lisy, published in 2006 by ELI. The book can be ordered by either calling ELI at 800-433-5120 or logging on to the ELI website at http://www.eli.org.]