Kieran Suckling Policy Director 520 2755960 ksucklingbiologicaldiversity.org www.esasuccess.org Febr

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Kieran SucklingPolicy Director(520)
275-5960ksuckling_at_biologicaldiversity.orgwww.esa
success.org February 28, 2006
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Endangered Species Act Precursor created in
1967 Current law created in 1973 1,312 plants
and animals currently listed as threatened or
endangered 1,350 historically listed Purpose 1.
Prevent extinction 2. Move species toward
recovery 3. Achieve full recovery and remove
from endangered list
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• Is the Endangered Species Act Working?
• Prevent extinction
• 2. Move toward recovery
• 3. Achieve full recovery

? 52 listed species potentially extinct, but ?
Only 21 (1.5) disappeared after listing, and ?
Only 2-5 savable at the time of listing ? ESA at
least 99.6 successful by this measure
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• Is the Endangered Species Act Working?
• Prevent extinction
• 2. Move toward recovery
• 3. Achieve full recovery

? 52 listed species potentially extinct, but ?
Only 21 (1.5) disappeared after listing, and ?
Only 2-5 savable at the time of listing ? ESA at
least 99.6 successful by this measure
? 14 species fully recovered and removed from
endangered list ? ESA is 1.0 successful by this
measure
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• Is the Endangered Species Act Working?
• Prevent extinction
• 2. Move toward recovery
• 3. Achieve full recovery

? 52 listed species potentially extinct, but ?
Only 21 (1.5) disappeared after listing, and ?
Only 2-5 savable at the time of listing ? ESA at
least 99.6 successful by this measure
? 97.5 not extinct or recovered ? population
trend anecdotes (bald eagle, grizzly bear, etc.),
but no comprehensive data ? until this report
? 14 species fully recovered and removed from
endangered list ? ESA is 1.0 successful by this
measure
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56 endangered species in Vermont, Maine, New
Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode
Island, New York and New JerseyWe gathered
long-term population trend data on the 53 which
were listed for at least six yearsWe reviewed
federal recovery plans to determine which species
were expected to recover by 2005 and which were
not expected to recover that soon
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Goal 1 Preventing Extinction

• Four extinct or extirpated from the U.S. before
  listing
• None became extinct after listing

Longjaw Cisco
Eastern Cougar
Listed 1974 Last documented early 1940s
Listed 1974 Extirpated from U.S. 1967
Eskimo Curlew
Blue Pike
Listed 1974 Last documented 1963
Listed 1974 Extinct 1971
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Goal 2 Full Recovery

• Critics all 1,350 species should have recovered,
  thus The ESA has a 1 success, 99 failure rate
  (Richard Pombo)
• How many should have recovered?
• Federal recovery plans require an average
  of 42 years for recovery actions
• Listing length species on endangered list
  for 24 years on average
• Expected recoveries federal recovery plans
  predict 11 recoveries by 2005
• Actual recovery record nine species
  downlisted, delisted, proposed for delisting, or
  under consideration for delisting

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Predicted vs. Actual Recovery Trend
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Goal 3 Moving Species Toward Recovery

• Increased since listing 65 (26)
• Remained stable 28 (11)
• 93
  (37) increased or remained stable
• Declined since listing 8 (3)
• Unknown trend 9
• Extinct/extirpated before listing 4

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Three species (7) declined
Indiana Bat
In dramatic decline at time of listing, continued
to decline for another 25 years, began improving
about 1996
American Harts Tongue Fern
Declined score based primarily on NY which
contains most U.S. plants. But most of species is
in Canada where it is stable.
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Three species (7) Declined
The large Chesapeake Bay populations have
declined rapidly since listing. They have
received little institutionalized habitat
protection. The two small Connecticut River
metapopulations have increased in size due to
intensive habitat management and a reintroduction
program.
Puritan Tiger Beetle
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)
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93 improved or remained stable (examples)