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<br />CRITICAL HABITAT <br /> <br />for the Colorado River Endangered Fishes <br />(Colorado squawflsh, humpback chub, bonytail chub, and razorback sucker) <br /> <br />Here are some of the most-often-asked questions about designated critical habitat, <br />as it applies to these fishes. <br /> <br />0.#1. What Is "Critical Habitat?' <br /> <br />A. Roughly, It's defined as those areas with the physical and blologl!lal features essential . <br />to the "conservation" of a threatened or endangered species. The Endangered Species Act goes <br />on. to deflne conservation as recovering the species to the point that It's no longer threatened <br />Of endangefed. <br /> <br />0.#2 Who determines these Critical Habitat areas? <br /> <br />A. For species considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, only the Secretary of <br />the Interior or the Director of the Service. <br /> <br />0.#3 <br /> <br />Do all listed species have designated Critical Habitat? <br /> <br />A. No, none needs to be designated If doing so would not benefit the species. <br /> <br />0.#4 <br /> <br />How do you determine what areas to designate? <br /> <br />A. The Service considers habitat features needed for life and successful reproduction <br />of the species. These include, but aren't limited to: <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />o space for individual and population growth and for normal behavior; <br />o food, water, air, light, minerals, or other nutritional or physiological requirements; <br />o cover or shelter; <br />o sites for breeding and rearing offspring; <br />o generally, habitats that are protected from disturbance or are representative of the <br />historical geographical and ecological distributions of a species using the best available <br />scientific Information and public input. <br /> <br />0.#5 <br /> <br />Is the species only protected on designated Critical Habitat areas? <br /> <br />A. No, all the other protections afforded by the Act apply both on and off designated <br />Critical Habitat. <br /> <br />0.#6 Then why go to the trouble of designating Critical Habitat at all? <br /> <br />A. Because this provides for the protection of the habitat whether the species happens <br />to be there at the time or not. Also, this designation focuses attention on areas that might benefit <br />the species through conservation planning or land ownership exchanges. <br />