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<br />0D23L2 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />W-FW-FWS-21-89 <br /> <br /> <br />United States Department of the Interior <br /> <br />OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL <br />WASHINGTON,D,C. 20240 <br /> <br />September 27, 1990 <br /> <br /> <br />- - <br />- . <br /> <br />Memorandwn <br /> <br />To: <br /> <br />Assistant Secretary, Fish and Wildlife and Parks <br /> <br />From: <br /> <br />Assistant Inspector General for Audits <br /> <br />Subject: Final Audit Report on the Endangered Species Program, U.S. Fish <br />and Wildlife Service (No. 90-98) <br /> <br />This report presents the results of our review of the endangered species <br />program for domestic species. Our objective was to determine if the U.S. <br />Fish and Wildlife Service had effectively implemented the provisions of <br />the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-205). <br /> <br />To accomplish our obj ective. we focused our review on program <br />administration and selected aspects of listing, consultation, recovery. <br />and state grant activities related to protecting endangered species, Our <br />review covered fiscal years 1987 through 1989 and earlier periods as <br />necessary. The review was performed at: U.S. Fish anq Wildlife Service <br />headquarters and at selected regional offices and field offices. <br /> <br />Overall, we concluded that the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service had not <br />effectively implemented a domestic endangered species program, and we <br />question whether accomplishment of the program as it is presently <br />structured and funded is feasible. Specifically, we found that: <br /> <br />- Timely progress has not been made toward officially listing and <br />protecting endangered and threatened plant and animal species. <br />Approximately 600 domestic candidate species deemed by the Service to <br />merit immediate protection under the Act have thus far not been <br />officially listed. Also, the Service has identified an additional 3.000 <br />species that are suspected to be threatened or endangered. but action has <br />not been taken to list and protect these plants and animals. During the <br />last 10 years, at least 34 animal and plant species have been determined <br />to be extinct without ever having received full benefit of the Act's <br />protection, and those species currently known to merit protection, as <br />well as those candidate species eventually determined to need protection, <br />are similarly in jeopardy of extinction. <br /> <br />- The Endangered Species Act attempts to provide official protection <br />and recovery opportunity for all endangered and threatened animals and <br />plants, based on the degree of threat evidenced by the "best scientific <br />and commercial data available." Given that potential recovery costs <br />could amount to an estimated $4.6 billion for presently known endangered <br />species and that the Service's annual available recovery resources are <br />only about $8.4 million. it is obvious rhat the Service's mission cannot <br />be fully accomplished at present funding levels. Consequently, the <br />Service has not developed recovery plans for many of the officially <br />