8150

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8150
• Author: Wydoski, R. S.
• Title: Realistic Management of Endangered Species--An Overview.
• USFW Year: 1977.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

Populations (Goodwin, 1973; Wildlife Management Institute, 1974). The same
technology that has been detrimental can be and should be used to man's
benefit. Management agencies will need to carefully compare environmental
concerns against economic needs, or preservation against use in the future
(McCloskey, 1973).
Myers (1977) postulated that it is not inconceivable that tens of
thousands if not hundreds of thousands of species may become extinct by the
end of this century because of the widespread disruption of natural habitats
by man. He envisioned this loss as "...a biological impoverishment on the
scale of all the mass extinctions of the geologic past together..."
Man differs fron other animals in having the capacity to pass knowledge
from one generation to the next -- to record history. That history contains
numerous examples of evolution and change that should be of considerable
importance to man as an insight into his own future (U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 1969). Man can use native flora and fauna to serve him as "environ-
mental barometers" to maintain the quality of land and water (U.S. Department
of the Interior, 1972). As species become rare, it is a warning that some-
thing has changed in the ecosystem that may ultimately affect man. Appropri-
ate action or management can correct such misuse of natural resources.
MANAGEMENT OF THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES
Although endangered species are protected and cannot be "taken" by fed-
eral law, the overall goal of the 1973 Act is to help the species to become
re-established so that its fate is no longer critical. If such recovery
efforts are successful, the species will be removed from "endangered" status
and can be managed as any other species by conservation agencies. The
following discussion will cover several important aspects (critical habitat,
propagation, funding, potential for management) that can be applied to
realistic management of rare species. The papers that follow in this session
will discuss additional viewpoints and methods for practical management of
these species.
Effective communication between various federal and state agencies is
vital for compliance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The Endangered
Species Technical Bulletin, that is published monthly by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, has been an effective tool in communicating important
information concerning endangered species and their management.
Critical Habitat. Various problems are involved in defining "critical
habitat" for threatened and endangered species, as outlined in Section 7 of
the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Knowledge of the habitat requirements
of these species is vital to determine potential impacts of man's activities.
Yet this information is difficult to obtain because of the small numbers
of the organisms and the extra care that must be taken to study them. In
addition, the defining of "critical habitat" is not as simple for aquatic
organisms as for terrestrial organisms. Alterations in water quality and
quantity, as well as in other aspects of the physical environment, can
affect aquatic organisms far downstream from the source of the alteration.
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