(National) Action plans are tools for the implementation of conservation actions and define, for a certain state, province or country, which actions will be taken for the conservation of a certain species/subspecies. The National Action Plans should be informed by a Status Report and any existing Red List or Green Status Assessment of the taxon. It is essential that National Action Plans are aligned with and linked to the Conservation Strategy of the species/subspecies (if existing). A conservation Strategy is in fact often implemented through (National) Action Plans which are then fulfilled by implementing specific conservation projects targeted in the plan based on defined Objectives, Results and Actions to conserve the species/subspecies. In comparison to (Regional) Conservation Strategies, (National) Action Plans can focus on the specific local situation and threats of the taxa at the national level and allow a more detailed breakdown of the defined Objectives, Results and Actions at the Regional level into national Objectives, Results and Actions. Thus, National Action plans contribute to the achievement of the (Regional) Conservation Strategy.

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The IUCN SSC Guidelines for Species Conservation Planning and the Cat Conservation Compendium provide some guidance on how to develop a conservation strategy and subsequently translate it into (National) Action Plans for a species/subspecies.

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(National) Action Plans that follow the guidelines of the IUCN where the Cat Specialist Group has been involved can found in the Digital Cat Library.