USFWS and NMFS Issue Joint Policy Interpreting ESA Listing Criteria
Posted in Listing

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service issued their final interpretation of the phrase "significant portion of its range" for the purposes of applying the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  This phrase plays a key role in the listing and delisting of species, as it appears in the ESA's definition of "endangered species" and "threatened species."  Specifically, under the ESA, an "endangered species" is defined as "any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range[,]" and a "threatened species" is defined as "any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all of a significant portion of its range."  16 U.S.C. 1532(6) & (20).  The accompanying announcement issued by USFWS states that under the new policy, which does not go into effect until July 31, 2014, a species could be listed "as threatened or endangered throughout its range if the best available science shows that the species is threatened or endangered in a vital portion of that range, the loss of which would put the species as a whole at risk of extinction."  The announcement also states that the "policy clarifies a species' 'range' as the geographical area within which that species is found at the time of the listing determination."  The website for the USFWS states that during the interim period between now and the policy's July 31 effective date, the USFWS "will consider the interpretations and principles in [the] final policy as nonbinding guidance in making individual listing determinations."

  • Benjamin Z. Rubin
    Partner

    Ben Rubin is chair of Nossaman’s Environment & Land Use Group. Ben assists developers, public agencies, landowners and corporate clients on a variety of complex land use and environmental matters. He counsels clients on matters ...

Nossaman’s Endangered Species Law & Policy blog focuses on news, events, and policies affecting endangered species issues in California and throughout the United States. Topics include listing and critical habitat decisions, conservation and recovery planning, inter-agency consultation, and related developments in law, policy, and science. We also inform readers about regulatory and legislative developments, as well as key court decisions.

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