7619

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7619
• Author: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Title: Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Program
• USFW Year: 1990.
• USFW - Doc Type: Report to Congress.
• Copyright Material: NO

The Endangered
Species Act
Amendments of 1988
The salient points of the 1988
Amendments as they relate to recov-
ery planning and implementation are
discussed below.
1. Public Review of Recovery Plans
Section 4(f) of the amended Act re-
quires public review of all new or re-
vised recovery plans prior to
approval. The intent is to inform the
public, promote public involvement
in the recovery planning process, and
increase the information available to
all involved Federal agencies. The
public participates in this activity by
reviewing and commenting on the
plans and by discussing issues at pub-
lic meetings.
2. Recovery Plan Status Report
Section 4(f) of the Act was also
amended to require the Service to re-
port every 2 years to Congress on the
preparation and implementation of
recovery plans and on the status of
each listed species with a recovery
plan. The intent is to: (1) measure
progress in developing and
implementing recovery plans, and (2)
provide information on the status of
each listed species with a recovery
plan.
3. Monitoring of Recovered Species
Section 4(g) of the Endangered
Species Act was amended to require a
system for monitoring (for a period of
not less than 5 years) all species that
have been recovered and delisted, and
to provide for emergency relisting of
any species that may again become in
danger of extinction.
4. Section 6 Amendments
Congress recognizes that States bear
much of the responsibility for manag-
ing Federally listed species and that
the expertise of State conservation
agencies is essential to the endan-
gered species program. Section 6 of
the Act was amended to clarify that
States may use Section 6
grants to monitor the sta- 4, 4i
tus of recovered
(delisted) species and "'`
Notice of Review
Category 1 and 2 candi-
date species. Priorities
for Section 6 allocations
still remain as: (1) imple-
mentation of recovery
actions, (2) candidate `
monitoring, and (3)
monitoring of recovered
Biologists seining for spotfi chub in North Carolina as
species. part of a cooperative project involving the states of
Although monitoring North Caro
candidate species is not cies, the Fi
directly related to recov- Park Servi
ery, it does provide an
opportunity for Federal and State
agencies to conduct prelisting habitat
protection and management actions,
and ensures that species awaiting list-
ing are not lost through inattention to
their status.
5. Annual Reporting of
Recovery Expenditures
lina and Tennessee and two Federal agen-
sh and Wildlife Service and the National
ce.
and in accordance with the
schedule in the plan. Estimates of
time to accomplish recovery must
be based on known biological fac-
tors and a determination of the
likelihood that other management
programs, including regulatory and
law enforcement programs, might
facilitate or detract from task ac-
complishment. If they are uncer-
tain, the nature of the uncertainty
must be discussed in the plan. If
unknown, time frames for recovery
tasks that will make it practical to
outline tasks and timeframes in
future plan revisions must be dis-
cussed.
A new section (18) of the Act
requires an annual reporting, on a
species-by-species basis, of all "rea-
sonably identifiable" Federal or State
expenditures made primarily for the
conservation of endangered or threat-
ened species pursuant to the Act.
6. Recovery Plan Requirements
In the 1988 amendments, Congress
made it clear that a recovery plan is to
be an action-oriented document.
There are four primary topic areas
that must be addressed in every re-
covery plan,
¦ To the maximum extent feasible, a
recovery plan must identify site-
specific management actions as
may be necessary to achieve the
plan's goal for the conservation and
survival of the species. Action-ori-
ented tasks designed to achieve
specific recovery goals are appro-
priate.
¦ A recovery plan must estimate the
time frame required for accom-
plishing recovery, assuming that
sufficient funds are provided
¦ A recovery plan must estimate the
cost of complete recovery of the
species. If the estimate is uncer-
tain, the nature of the uncertainty
must be discussed in the plan. In
the past, some recovery plans have
given only the Service's recovery
costs. However, Congress now re-
quires that all recovery plans esti-
mate the total cost for all Federal
and State agencies and private or-
ganizations involved.
¦ A recovery plan must set forth pre-
cise, measurable criteria and/or
identify research needs that will
allow the Service and others to ob-
jectively determine when recovery
has been achieved (when it is, in
fact, achievable).
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