9669

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9669
• Author: U.S. Department of the Interior.
• Title: Policy and Guidelines for Planning and Coordinating Recovery of Endangered and Threatened Species.
• USFW Year: 1990.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

1-11

included about all Priority 1 tasks identified in Section II, and
major Priority 2 tasks may be mentioned. This section may be
omitted from very simple plans, where the overview can be gleaned
from the Executive Summary or directly from the Narrative Outline.

II. RECOVERY

A. Obiective and Criteria

State the primary objective of the plan. State the recovery criteria
in quantitative terms (e.g., number of individuals or populations) whenever
possible. If the recovery objective includes removal of the species from
endangered status, make it clear whether this means reclassification to
threatene~ status or complete delisting. If the prospect of
reclassification is uncertain, a measurable interim objective may be used.
The 1988 amendments to the Act require an estimate of the recovery time,
which should also be $tatedin this section and shoul~ be based on the
assumption that recovery tasks will be implemented as scheduled and that a
determination has been made of the probable effect of anticipated human
activities on that schedule. The recovery objective and criteria may read
as follows:

~
~
~

"Species Y" will be considered for reclassification from
endangered to threatened when X geographically distinct, self-
sustaining populations are protected in X county(ies} of State Y
(or in any other counties where native populations might be
discovered in the future) and they have been maintained for Z
consecutive years. Delisting the species will be considered
when X+ geographically distinct, self-sustaining populations are
protected in X counties for another Z consecutive years following
reclassification. ' The estimated date for recovery completion is
2010.

The brevity and apparent simplicity of the recovery objective section
is quite deceptive. Quantifying recovery criteria calls for creative
thought, and developing the criteria may require educated guesswork. This
may be difficult for scientists accustomed to basing their statements on
hard data rather than conjecture. However, plan authors should keep in
mind that concise and measurable recovery criteria are necessary; they
represent the central pillar of the recovery plan. Only explicit,
measurable goals .will bring the overall recovery effort into focus and
promote the necessary funding. If the objective section includes such
terms as protected, stable or increasing populations, these should be
operationally defined, in light of such factors as generation time and
other relevant factors.

OS/25/90