Laserfiche WebLink
<br />002310 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br /> <br />- - <br />- . <br /> <br /> <br />United States Department of the Interior <br />OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GE:-;ER.AL <br />W:I.SHINGTON, D.C. 20HO <br /> <br />SEP 2 a m) <br /> <br />ME.'1:ORANDtlM <br /> <br />roo <br /> <br />The Secretar-f <br /> <br />FROM: <br /> <br />Inspector General <br /> <br />SUBJECT SUMMARY: <br /> <br />FInal AudIt Report for Your Info~ation "The <br />Endangered Species Program. U. S. Fish and Wildlife <br />Service" <br /> <br />DISCUSSION: In the last 10 years. 34 animal and plant species have been <br />determined to be extinct vithout ever having received full benefit of the <br />protection provided by the Endangered Species Act. Further, species <br />currently known to merit protection under the Act. as vell as those <br />candidate species eventually detemined to need protection.. are <br />similarly in jeopardy of extinction. This occurred because the U.S: Fish <br />and Wildlife Service had not effectively implemented a domestic <br />endangered species program. <br /> <br />The report questions whether the objectives of the program are <br />attainable, considering current funding levels and program st=ucture, and <br />recommends that program goals and objectives be reassessed. <br />Specifically. ve reported that: <br /> <br />- The Ser-'ice has not made timely progress toward officially listing <br />and pro tec ting endangered and threatened species. CurrentLy, 600 <br />domestic candidate species considered by the Ser-'ice to merit illIlllediate <br />protection under the Act have not been officially listed. Some 3,000 <br />additional suspected endangered or threatened species also are receiving <br />little or no protection under the Act while listing action is pending. <br /> <br />Full lIission accomplishment cannot be ensured., We reported that <br />potential recovery COStS could amount to an estimated $4.6 billion 'for <br />presently known endangered species and that che Service's annual recovery <br />resourcas are only about $8,4 million. We also reported that the Ser-'ice <br />has not developed recovery pLans for many of the already officially <br />listed species and does not have a uniform system for tracking recovery <br />plan development or implementation of recovery pLan tasks. <br /> <br />The Service has neither developed nor implemented a basic <br />management system for effective adIllinistration of the program. <br />Information systems are not in pLace to consistently and accurately track <br />program costs and results. and endangered species program management <br />reviews are not performed on a consistent periodic basis. <br /> <br />Prepared by:. <br />Extension: <br /> <br />Harold Bloom <br />208-4252 <br /> <br />. <br />