If an individual cannot act to ensure his survival nor can the species, they go hand in hand.
Not necessarily true. People can do things that further their own survival, but aren't in the best interests of their species on the whole. There are well known examples in game theory
that relate to this. Suppose everyone in a classroom is given $10. You can take that person's $10 by giving their name to the game administrator, so long as no-one else has given that person's name to the administrator. It is in the overall best interests of the class for no-one to give any names to the administrator, and if everyone gives out names, you are unlikely to be in a good situation. However, it is, of course, in your own best interests to have no-one gives out names except you, helping yourself as much as you can at the expense of others.
So, can some one/group/species act in the interest of survival and have that action be justified.
It would depend on the situation. Do you have an example? I think survival can be a good motivation, yes.