scholarly journals Wolf Delisting Challenges Demonstrate Need for an Improved Framework for Conserving Intraspecific Variation under the Endangered Species Act.

BioScience ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Carroll ◽  
Daniel J Rohlf ◽  
Bridgett M vonHoldt ◽  
Adrian Treves ◽  
Sarah A Hendricks
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Intraspecific Variation ◽  
Endangered Species Act ◽  
Gray Wolf ◽  
Geographic Patterns ◽  
Distinct Population Segment ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
The Face ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract Recent advances in genomics have increased our understanding of geographic patterns of intraspecific variation and the importance of this variation in enhancing species’ potential to adapt to novel threats. However, as part of an effort to limit the scope of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the US government has proposed the removal of the gray wolf from the list of protected species on the basis of a claim that the statute permits a species to be declared recovered given the existence of a single presently secure population. We rebut this interpretation and propose a framework for the conservation of adaptive potential that builds on current agency practice in delineating subspecific recovery units and reconciles the definition of significance in the statute's “distinct population segment” and “significant portion of range” clauses. Such a coordinated policy would enhance the ESA's effectiveness in stemming loss of biodiversity in the face of climate change and other factors altering Earth's ecosystems.

scholarly journals Recovery Units under the Endangered Species Act could be used more widely

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Evans ◽  
Ya-Wei Li ◽  
Jacob Malcom
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Endangered Species Act ◽  
Efficient Solutions ◽  
Species Range ◽  
Recovery Unit ◽  
Public Data ◽  
The Face ◽  
Regulatory Decisions ◽  
Species Being

AbstractRecovering species is one of the main goals of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In the face of limited budgets, diverse tools are needed to find efficient solutions. Recovery units may be one such tool - designated portions of a species’ range that must be recovered individually before an entire species can be considered recovered. Recovery units allow for spatial flexibility in recovery goals and may be used in regulatory decisions such as section 7 consultation. Despite their availability, there is very little information on how recovery units have been developed and used. We mined available public data to determine the number and types of species for which recovery units have been designated; evaluated species and geographic characteristics associated with recovery unit designation; and examined how recovery units have been used in the implementation of the ESA, such as during consultation. We found 49 listed species have designated recovery units through 2017, and that these species had similar characteristics. Namely, they had relatively large ranges and were well-studied. We found taxonomic biases in recovery unit designation as well, with fish species being disproportionately likely to have recovery units and plants disproportionately less. Improvements in recovery priority numbers among species with recovery units indicate that the theoretical benefits of this tool may have translated to improved status. These data indicate that recovery units could be applied to more wide-ranging species to improve recovery under the ESA.

Florida’s Endearing Manatees

Wild Capital ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 121-139
Author(s):  
Barbara K. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Public Goods ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Endangered Species Act ◽  
Assigned Value ◽  
Land Use Decisions ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Commons

By assigning economic value to the manatee, the costs and benefits associated with conserving and protecting them and their habitat can more effectively compete in the marketplace. Just as the Endangered Species Act assigned value to social benefits or Eleanor Ostrom demonstrated how governing the commons could turn public goods into private ones, assessing the measurable benefits of a resource makes both environmental and economic sense. The manatee’s charisma, combined with a recognized economic value, has helped us maintain a better relationship with the species and moved the manatee and its habitat to the frontlines of Florida’s conservation agenda. Their increased numbers and expanding human fan base have made them the face for improving ecosystem biodiversity and water quality, as well as encouraging better land use decisions along Florida’s rapidly developing coastline. Effective branding by well-respected institutions like Save the Manatee Club and The Ocean Conservancy has made saving the manatee a cause that transcends the local and hopefully has made co-existing with the gentle giants in their habitat something each one of us will readily choose to do.

scholarly journals Recommendations for Improving Recovery Criteria under the US Endangered Species Act

BioScience ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel F. Doak ◽  
Gina K. Himes Boor ◽  
Victoria J. Bakker ◽  
William F. Morris ◽  
Allison Louthan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Endangered Species Act ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Endangered Species Act

scholarly journals Better Representation Is Needed in U.S. Endangered Species Act Implementation

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Malcom ◽  
Andrew Carter
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Endangered Species Act ◽  
The United States ◽  
Alternative Interpretation ◽  
Gray Wolf ◽  
Picoides Borealis ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Science And Policy ◽  
Threatened And Endangered Species ◽  
The U.S

In the United States, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses the concepts of resilience, redundancy, and representation—often known as the “3Rs”—to guide implementation of the Endangered Species Act, which requires the U.S. government to designate imperiled species as threatened or endangered, and take action to recover them. The Service has done little, however, to relate the 3Rs to the statutory requirements of the Act. Here we focus on interpreting the concept of representation given core tenets of science and conservation policy. We show that the Service's current interpretation, which focuses on a narrow set of characteristics intrinsic to species that facilitate future adaptation, falls far short of a reasonable interpretation from the scientific literature and other policy, and has significant consequences for the conservation of threatened and endangered species, including those found in other countries. To illustrate the shortcomings in practice, we discuss the cases of the Lower 48 gray wolf (Canis lupus) delisting, the proposed Red-cockadedWoodpecker (Picoides borealis) downlisting, and the possible downlisting of the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). We then propose an alternative interpretation of representation that accommodates the Service's narrow interpretation and broadens it to include the importance of intraspecific variation for its own sake as well as extrinsic characteristics such as a species' role in ecological communities. We argue that this interpretation better reflects the intent of the Endangered Species Act, the best available science, and policy needs for conserving imperiled wildlife, all of which recognize the importance not only of preventing global extinction but also of preventing ecological extinction and extirpation across significant portions of a species' range.

scholarly journals The Endangered Gray Wolf in Wyoming: Managing Wolf Populations after Endangered Species Act Delisting

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Bryant Jones
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Endangered Species Act ◽  
Gray Wolf ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Recovery Plan ◽  
Northern Rocky Mountains ◽  
Gray Wolves ◽  
State Management ◽  
Compensation Program ◽  
The U.S

For over sixty years the distinct howl of the gray wolf has been absent from the Northern Rocky Mountains. The U.S. government successfully exterminated the species from all but Minnesota by the 1930s. With the passage of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 the gray wolf was protected by law. A recovery plan was developed throughout the 1980s and implemented beginning in 1995. Since then, populations of gray wolves in three designated recovery areas consisting of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming have increased annually. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is considering delisting the gray wolf from the endangered list and has begun to devolve management to state governments. Idaho and Montana's recovery plans were approved by USFWS, but Wyoming's plan was rejected. To ensure state management of wolves is achieved, Wyoming should seriously consider implementing a program similar to those of Idaho and Montana and one that will be easily approved by the USFWS. This paper proposes that Wyoming consider several different ways to manage the wolf population, including: developing a new wolf recovery plan using a a diverse group of stakeholders; continuing to keep wolves protected under state protection; developing a comprehensive education program to inform citizens about gray wolves; continuing to utilize the Defenders of Wildlife compensation program to repay ranchers for livestock depredation losses; and leaving the definition of a breeding pair as an adult male and female raising two or more pups until December 31 of the respective year.

scholarly journals Cusk (Brosme brosme) and climate change: assessing the threat to a candidate marine fish species under the US Endangered Species Act

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 1753-1768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan A. Hare ◽  
John P. Manderson ◽  
Janet A. Nye ◽  
Michael A. Alexander ◽  
Peter J. Auster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Marine Fish ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Endangered Species Act ◽  
Marine Fish Species ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Endangered Species Act

AbstractHare, J.A., Manderson, J.P., Nye, J.A., Alexander, M.A., Auster, P.J., Borggaard, D.L., Capotondi, A.M., Damon-Randall, K.B., Heupel, E., Mateo, I., O'Brien, L., Richardson, D.E., Stock, C.A., and Biege, S.T. 2012. Cusk (Brosme brosme) and climate change: assessing the threat to a candidate marine fish species under the US Endangered Species Act. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 1753–1768. In the Northwest Atlantic Ocean cusk (Brosme brosme) has declined dramatically, primarily as a result of fishing activities. These declines have led to concern about its status, which has prompted reviews under the US Endangered Species Act and the Canadian Species at Risk Act. Changes in distribution and abundance of a number of marine fish in the Northwest Atlantic have been linked to climate variability and change, suggesting that both fishing and climate may affect the status of cusk. Our goal was to evaluate potential effects of climate change on Northwest Atlantic cusk distribution. Coupling a species niche model with the output from an ensemble of climate models, we projected cusk distribution in the future. Our results indicate cusk habitat in the region will shrink and fragment, which is a result of a spatial mismatch between high complexity seafloor habitat and suitable temperature. The importance of habitat patch connectivity for cusk is poorly understood, so the population-level consequences of climate-related habitat fragmentation are uncertain. More broadly, climate change may reduce appropriate thermal habitat and increase habitat fragmentation for other cold-water species in the region; thereby, increasing the potential for regional overexploitation and extirpation.

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