Species recovery
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Species recovery is the elimination of or reduction in threats to an animal or plant species' survival as required under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Once a species has recovered, it is removed from the federal list of endangered species.[1][2][3]
Background
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "The goal of the Endangered Species Act is the recovery of listed species to levels where protection under the Act is no longer necessary." Recovery is the process of stopping the decline of an endangered or threatened species by removing or reducing threats. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinates with states and local governments to implement programs aimed at preventing the extinction of species. A species is delisted when threats to its survival have been reduced or eliminated.[2]
Recovery program
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's species recovery program involves other federal agencies, states, and local governments preparing and implementing species-specific recovery programs. A federal recovery plan is prepared for newly listed endangered or threatened species unless the government determines a plan is unnecessary, which occurs in cases where a recovery plan would not promote a species' conservation. Federal recovery plans are not legally binding and provide guidelines for the government to improve a species' recovery. As of August 2016, 1,157 species—73 percent of U.S.-listed species—had active recovery plans.[2][4]
In the 1990s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service introduced the Safe Harbor program as a way to provide incentives for private landowners to recover listed species. A safe harbor agreement permits private landowners to implement voluntary conservation measures for listed species. In return, landowners do not face additional regulations or restrictions on their private property. One example of a safe harbor agreement involved private landowners conducting controlled burnings to reduce undergrowth and installing nest boxes for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.[2]
Some listed species are put into captive breeding recovery programs. After a certain length of time, species bred in captivity are released into the wild. Fish and Wildlife Service officials also remove potential threats to the species' survival in the wild before a species' members are released. One example is the California island fox; three subspecies of the fox were delisted in August 2016. In 2000, two groups of 15 foxes each inhabited the San Miguel and Santa Rosa islands while 55 foxes inhabited Santa Cruz Island. As of August 2016, the fox population was estimated at 700 foxes on the San Miguel Island and 2,100 foxes on the Santa Cruz Island. The species’ recovery was attributed to the relocation of predators and the federal captive breeding program. Federal officials estimated that the rearing of foxes in captivity cost approximately $20 million over the 12-year period. Wildlife officials killed roughly thousands of pigs to force golden eagles—the main predator of the island foxes—to forage in other areas, an action that aided the foxes’ recovery according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.[5]
Recovered species
- See also: Delisting a species
As of August 2016, 66 species were delisted nationally. Of those species, 37 were delisted due to recovery, 19 species were listed in error (for scientific reasons or because new information about a species was discovered), and 10 species went extinct. The table below shows the names of the 37 recovered species as of August 2016.[6]
Recovered species between 1973 and August 2016 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date species first listed | Date delisted | Species name (scientific name) | |
03/05/2004 | 9/12/2016 | Fox, San Miguel Island (Urocyon littoralis littoralis) - wherever found | |
03/05/2004 | 9/12/2016 | Fox, Santa Cruz Island (Urocyon littoralis santacruzae) - wherever found | |
03/05/2004 | 9/12/2016 | Fox, Santa Rosa Island (Urocyon littoralis santarosae) - wherever found | |
03/11/1967 | 7/24/2003 | Deer, Columbian white-tailed (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus) - Douglas County, Washington | |
8/30/1999 | 9/15/2011 | Snake, Lake Erie water (Nerodia sipedon insularum) | |
5/22/1997 | 8/18/2005 | Sunflower, Eggert's (Helianthus eggertii) | |
6/16/1994 | 6/16/1994 | Whale, gray (Eschrichtius robustus) - Except where still listed | |
10/18/1993 | 3/23/2015 | Chub, Oregon (Oregonichthys crameri) | |
7/19/1990 | 10/7/2003 | Woolly-star, Hoover's (Eriastrum hooveri) | |
4/5/1990 | 12/4/2013 | Sea lion, Steller (Eumetopias jubatus) | |
4/17/1989 | 6/14/2013 | Shagreen, Magazine Mountain (Inflectarius magazinensis) | |
9/3/1986 | 11/28/2011 | Snake, Concho water (Nerodia paucimaculata) | |
9/5/1985 | 2/18/2011 | Daisy, Maguire (Erigeron maguirei) | |
7/31/1985 | 3/4/2013 | Squirrel, Virginia northern flying (Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus) | |
9/17/1980 | 8/27/2002 | Cinquefoil, Robbins' (Potentilla robbinsiana) | |
7/27/1979 | 6/4/1987 | Alligator, American (Alligator mississippiensis) | |
7/5/1979 | 9/2/2011 | Coneflower, Tennessee purple (Echinacea tennesseensis) | |
3/9/1978 | 5/5/2011 | Wolf, gray (Canis lupus) - Northern Rocky Mountain population | |
9/12/1977 | 4/1/2014 | Lizard, Island night (Xantusia riversiana) | |
12/30/1974 | 3/9/1995 | Kangaroo, eastern gray (Macropus giganteus) | |
12/30/1974 | 3/9/1995 | Kangaroo, red (Macropus rufus) | |
12/30/1974 | 3/9/1995 | Kangaroo, western gray (Macropus fuliginosus) | |
6/2/1970 | 5/23/2012 | Crocodile, Morelet's (Crocodylus moreletii) | |
6/2/1970 | 9/12/1985 | Dove, Palau ground (Gallicolumba canifrons) | |
6/2/1970 | 8/25/1999 | Falcon, American peregrine (Falco peregrinus anatum) | |
6/2/1970 | 10/5/1994 | Falcon, Arctic peregrine (Falco peregrinus tundrius) | |
6/2/1970 | 9/12/1985 | Flycatcher, Palau fantail (Rhipidura lepida) | |
6/2/1970 | 9/21/2004 | Monarch, Tinian (old world flycatcher) (Monarcha takatsukasae) | |
6/2/1970 | 9/12/1985 | Owl, Palau (Pyrroglaux podargina) | |
6/2/1970 | 12/17/2009 | Pelican, brown (Pelecanus occidentalis) - Non-U.S. Atlantic coast populations | |
6/2/1970 | 2/4/1985 | Pelican, brown (Pelecanus occidentalis) - U.S. Atlantic coast, Florida and Alabama populations | |
3/11/1967 | 8/8/2007 | Eagle, bald (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) | |
3/11/1967 | 3/20/2001 | Goose, Aleutian Canada (Branta canadensis leucopareia) | |
3/11/1967 | 12/16/2015 | Squirrel, Delmarva Peninsula fox (Sciurus niger cinereus) - Except where listed as experimental population | |
6/11/1985 | 1/7/2016 | Sucker, Modoc (Catostomus microps) | |
8/7/1984 | 2/11/2016 | Frankenia, Johnston's (Frankenia johnstonii) | |
1/7/1992 | 3/11/2016 | Bear, Louisiana black (Ursus americanus luteolus) | |
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Delisting report" |
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "What Is the Difference Between Endangered and Threatened?" accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Recovery," accessed October 13, 2015
- ↑ Legal Information Institute, "16 U.S. Code § 1531 - Congressional findings and declaration of purposes and policy," accessed September 2, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Endangered Species Recovery Program," accessed November 2, 2015
- ↑ ABC News, "California island foxes removed from endangered species list," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Delisted Species Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)," accessed August 27, 2016
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