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The Endangered Species Act of 1973 continues to be the subject of intense political acrimony. Opponents believe the law is a failure and call for significant changes, whereas proponents resist changes and argue for more funding to implement the statute. We suggest the law has been successful in meeting its core mission of preventing human-caused extinctions, but there are significant challenges with how the law is applied that limit its success. We recommend improvements in implementation that could lessen political controversy while making the act a more effective tool for conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) employs regulations to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitat on private lands. Complying with ESA regulations can cause economic losses for private landowners; failure to comply can result in fines and imprisonment. Current policies may create an economic disincentive for maintaining habitat for listed species on private lands, thus undermining the very purpose of the ESA. This study examined a purposive sample of key family forest landowners' perspectives on the ESA. An electronic survey was administered to members of national and state forestry organizations across the United States (N = 928). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that respondents' attitudes toward the ESA, private property norms, and past behavior were significant predictors of their behavioral intention to participate in potential incentive programs. Results revealed key family forest landowners' perspectives on species conservation, with implications for future policy changes that could lead to more effective protection of listed species in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nearly 30% of the species currently listed under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) neither live nor migrate through the United States or the territories under its jurisdiction. Consequently, many of the protections afforded by the ESA, such as the development of species recovery plans and the requirement for federal consultation, are not applied to these "foreign listings." Overlap between the ESA and other international legislation has created an idiosyncratic patchwork of protections for endangered foreign species, which is further complicated by court rulings that affect the administration of the law. This overview of the historical, legal, and administrative elements of the ESA as have been applied to foreign species aims to provide a straightforward guide for ecologists and conservation biologists on this complex legal issue. We discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages of foreign listings and raise important questions about the practical benefits of listing foreign species under the ESA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to significant population declines in the 1970s and 1980s, Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) were listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1990, and subsequently partitioned in 1997 into an endangered western stock and a threatened eastern stock. We estimated survival rates from a mark-recapture study of 7 eastern stock cohorts marked as pups in California and Oregon from 2001 to 2009 (n = 1,154 pups) and resighted range-wide from 2002 to 2013. First-year survival rates were among the lowest found for Steller sea lions thus far, averaging 0.46 (range 0.21-0.72) for females and 0.44 (0.21-0.68) for males; yearling survival rates, however, were among the highest, averaging 0.85 for females and 0.81 for males. Low pup and high yearling rates offset each other, however, so that cumulative survival rates to age 4, averaging 0.33 for females and 0.27 for males, were similar to those found in studies from Alaska and Russia. While range-limit effects and environmental variation may be related to the low and variable pup survival rates we found, populations in Oregon and California nonetheless continued to grow, which contributed to delisting of the eastern stock in 2013. Continued monitoring and incorporation of new information on vital rates into regional population models will help inform post-delisting monitoring for the eastern stock of Steller sea lions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) affords many potential benefits to species threatened with extinction. However, most at-risk amphibians--one of the most imperiled vertebrate groups--remain unlisted under the provisions of the ESA, and many impediments to recovery exist for those species that have been listed. Of the 35 US amphibian species and distinct population segments ("taxa") listed under the ESA, 40% currently lack a final (completed) recovery plan, 28.6% lack designated critical habitat, and 8.6% lack both. For taxa that have recovery plans, the time between their listing and the development of those plans was from 2 to 29 years, and the time between their listing and the designation of critical habitat ranged from 0 to 14 years. The underlying causes of such delays in protection are complex and constitute obstacles to recovery of imperiled species. We outline a series of strategic actions by which these challenges may be overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Springsnails (genus Pyrgulopsis) are one of the most abundant and diverse members of the endemic western North American aquatic biota. These tiny gastropods are imperiled by threats ranging from groundwater pumping to livestock grazing. During the past 25 years, this long-neglected element of biodiversity has emerged as a new focus of conservation-related activities, including protection of several species under the Endangered Species Act and monitoring and habitat restoration efforts. Molecular investigations have helped sharpen springsnail taxonomy and suggest that these animals cannot be managed using a priori assumptions of population structure. Despite this progress, there is an urgent need for additional studies of springsnail natural history, taxonomy, and genetics. The prospects for improving the protection and restoration of springsnail habitats are promising but are clouded by the overarching threat of groundwater mining, which may be addressed best by broader conservation efforts focused on regional groundwater-dependent ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The concept of conservation-reliant species has become increasingly prominent, particularly with species listed or under consideration for listing under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA). We have concerns about the trend toward what we see as an overly broad definition of conservation reliance. In addition to being of limited practical utility, overuse of the conservation reliant label can mask important legal and policy issues associated with species recovery and delisting. We propose a biology-based definition of conservation-reliant species—specifically, one based on the degree to which a species needs direct and ongoing human manipulation of its life cycle or environment in order to persist in the wild. This definition could assist managers in developing recovery priorities and allocating scarce recovery funds. In addition, a biological definition of conservation reliance could assist society and policymakers in considering whether the ESA's focus on self-sufficiency in the wild remains relevant as a definition of conservation success. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) has been proposed for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). A significant portion of the global population occurs in Glacier Bay, Alaska, where steep population declines have been previously reported. To further examine Kittlitz's Murrelet population trends we replicated a 1993 survey in 2009 and 2010 using the same lead observer, the same transect lines, and similar methods. We found the number of Kittlitz's Murrelets unchanged since 1993. Other seabird surveys were conducted in Glacier Bay between 1991 and 2008 by federal agencies, using a variety of sampling designs. We added our surveys to previously published surveys, correcting for percentage of murrelets identified to species to enable comparison. When all surveys were analyzed collectively, the Kittlitz's Murrelet population showed no significant trend between 1991 and 2010 (P=0.51). A power analysis showed high power (>0.99) to detect a decline had the population truly been declining at a rate of -11% per year, allowing us to reject the prior published conclusion of decline rates of -10.7% to -14.4% per year in Glacier Bay. The prior result of murrelet population decline was driven by a high population estimate from an isolated, nonstandard survey in 1991. Our three surveys in 1993, 2009, and 2010 provide a direct long-term comparison of standardized surveys, and show a more comprehensive picture of the Kittlitz's Murrelet population trend in Glacier Bay. We suggest the previous conclusion of a declining trend was influenced by anchoring bias, which attached undue certainty to the initial observation. The revised population trend in Glacier Bay indicates Kittlitz's Murrelets are not at imminent risk of extinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hare, 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. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Mojave desert tortoise was listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) because of local population declines and an array of threats. Challenges to the recovery of this species include an incomplete understanding of the threats most responsible for its decline, insufficient information on the effectiveness of management actions, and the intractability of threats across a large geographical range and multiple jurisdictions. Recognition that these challenges require long-term conservation efforts to ensure the species' persistence -- with or without the protections of the ESA -- necessitates a more structured approach to recovery, including broad stakeholder participation. A conservationreliant perspective will probably be increasingly relevant for additional species and for adapting land management in the face of climate change by improving regional coordination of management activities, broadening spatial and temporal points of view in management, and increasing the emphasis on addressing multiple threats simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One-third of the bird species listed under the US Endangered Species Act are endemic to Hawaii. One requirement of delisting a species is the elimination or abatement of threats to that species. More than 95% of Hawaii's threatened and endangered species face multiple threats that cannot be eliminated (e.g., alien mammalian predators, invasive alien plants that alter habitat structure, disease). However, because we can manage many of the threats at scales at which the achievement of recovery goals is possible, these species could be delisted if conservation partners committed to the implementation of stewardship agreements to maintain viable populations following those populations' delistings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kirtland's warbler is one of many conservation-reliant species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This species has met recovery goals, but removing it from the protections of the ESA is problematic because of its reliance on ongoing conservation. We define conservation management agreements (CMAs) and describe how they may provide a mechanism to protect conservation-reliant species after delisting. We suggest that CMAs should include four major elements: (1) a conservation partnership capable of implementing management actions at conservation-relevant scales, (2) a conservation management plan based on the management actions in the species' successful recovery plan, (3) sufficient financial resources to provide the required conservation management, and (4) legal enforcement. We use the efforts of the Kirtland's Warbler Recovery Team as a case study of the application of CMAs to build and maintain public and private partnerships to ensure continuing management for this species after delisting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A species is conservation reliant when the threats that it faces cannot be eliminated, but only managed. There are two forms of conservation reliance: population- and threat-management reliance. We provide an overview of the concept and introduce a series of articles that examine it in the context of a range of taxa, threats, and habitats. If sufficient assurances can be provided that successful population and threat management will continue, conservation-reliant species may be either delisted or kept off the endangered species list. This may be advantageous because unlisted species provide more opportunities for a broader spectrum of federal, state, tribal, and private interests to participate in conservation. Even for currently listed species, the number of conservation-reliant species -- 84% of endangered and threatened species with recovery plans -- and the magnitude of management actions needed to sustain the species at recovered levels raise questions about society's willingness to support necessary action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With few exceptions, the US Endangered Species Act requires the designation of "critical habitat" for threatened and endangered species. This provides important protections, including a prohibition against adverse modification of designated habitat by federal agencies. Scientists with the US Fish and Wildlife Service develop critical habitat designations, which are then peer reviewed before being finalized by the secretary of the interior. We reviewed 169 peer reviews of 42 designations for 336 species finalized between 2002 and 2007 and determined whether there were changes in the area designated and whether those changes reflected the reviewers' advice. Thirty-four (81%) of the 42 designations were reduced by an average of 43%. Eighty-five of the reviews recommended adding areas, and 19 recommended subtracting areas. Areas were added in response to only four reviews and subtracted in response to only nine. These results highlight the limitations of peer review of government decisions, which lack an arbiter to ensure that reviews are adequately considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nearly 40 years after passage of the US Endangered Species Act, the prospects for listed species remain dim because they are too severely imperiled by the time they receive the act's protection. Even if threats are abated, the low abundances required for recovery often preclude a high probability of persistence. The lack of sufficient data for setting recovery objectives also remains a barrier. Delisting is considered possible for only 74% of the 1173 species with recovery plans-92% of threatened and 69% of endangered species. The median number of populations required for delisting (8) was at or below the historical numbers for 64% and at or below the numbers at listing for 37% of the species. The median number of individuals required for recovery (2400) exceeded the abundances at listing for 93% of the species, but most were below the levels considered necessary for long-term persistence, especially in changing environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herpetologists often complain that, despite amphibians' being one of the most threatened vertebrate classes, there is a dearth of funding and capacity to tackle the global crisis afflicting them. We compared the average funding per species listed under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) to quantify funding favoritism across vertebrate classes in the United States and compared ESA listings with NatureServe evaluations of endangerment in order to examine listing bias. We found that, on average, listed US amphibians receive one-quarter of the ESA funding that other vertebrate classes do. This inequality is compounded by listing bias, with 82% of the amphibians found to be at risk by NatureServe remaining unlisted under the ESA. We recommend that federal, state, and private conservation groups take reactive and proactive measures to build capacity to sustain this important class of vertebrates for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation scientists increasingly recognize the need to incorporate the social sciences into policy decisions. In practice, however, considerable challenges to integrating the social and natural sciences remain. In this article, we review the US Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) 2009 decision to remove the northern Rocky Mountain population of gray wolves from the federal list of endangered species. We examine the FWS's arguments concerning the threat posed by humans' attitudes toward wolves in light of the existing social science literature. Our analysis found support for only one of four arguments underlying the FWS's assessment of public attitudes as a potential threat to wolves. Although we found an extensive literature on attitudes toward wolves, the FWS cited just one empirical research article. We conclude that when listing decisions rest on assumptions about society, these assumptions should be evaluated using the best available natural and social science research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on several aspects of an environmental analysis and decision-making processes associated with the U.S. forestry. The topics addressed include details on the views of the National Association of Forest Service Retirees (NAFSR) on the analysis and processes and information on the U.S. based Endangered Species Act of 1973.

A reprint of the article "ESA Position Statement on Endangered Insect Species: Protecting Endangered Insects Is in the Nation's Best Interest," which was published by the Entomological Society of America (ESA), is presented. The article outlines the benefits of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 law for the conservation and protecion insect species and the ecosystems in the U.S.

A correction is presented to the article "Is the Red Wolf a Listable Unit Under the US Endangered Species Act?" which appeared in the July 16, 2018 issue of the "Journal of Heredity."

The authors present their rebuttal to criticisms of their definition of "recovered" in the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 to mean that the population in question is not reliant on human intervention to maintain its population. They contend that a species that requires regular maintenance is conservation-reliant and dependent on human care and thus cannot be said to be ecologically recovered.

The authors present an argument that using the U.S. Wilderness Act to define "recovered" in the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 to mean that the population in question is not reliant on human intervention to maintain its population is an incorrect one. They contend that a species can be de-listed from the law, even if it requires regular maintenance, if it has met its conservation goals and is not at immediate risk of extinction.

In this article the author discusses aspects of the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), which was signed into law by former president Richard Nixon in 1973. Topics include what the ESA was designed to do and five areas of administrative reforms under former president Bill Clinton designed to make endangered species policy more effective, such as habitat protection, the listing of a candidate species, and distinguishing between threatened and endangered species.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue including an opinion piece by Jamie Rappaport Clark on the U.S. Endangered Species Act, a report by Charles Birkeland and colleagues on the global decline of corals, and the ecological impact of ocean warming and acidification.