Critically endangered wild plants with extremely small population (CEWPESP) are the plants in urgent need of rescue. At present, little knowledge exists on the endangering mechanism and corresponding conservation technologies for CEWPESP. The existing theories of plant population ecology and conservation biology can not be applied to CEWPESP directly. It is imperative to develop targeted theory and practical technology for conservation and restoration of CEWPESP. In this paper, we introduce the significance, contents, targets and prospects of the national key research and development project "conservation and restoration for typical critically endangered wild plants with extremely small population (2016YFC0503100)". The project focuses on studies of conservation and restoration for CEWPESP. Aims of the project are to build a theoretical system of population ecology and conservation biology, and a technological system for the conservation and restoration of CEWPESP, and on basis of that, to establish the corresponding technical standards and demonstration bases. This project will provide a solid theoretical foundation and technical support for the conservation and sustainable utilization of CEWPESP.