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Candidate species
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Candidate species are animal and plant species for which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has sufficient information to propose listing them as endangered or threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, these proposals are superseded by higher priority listing actions. Candidate species do not receive full ESA protection, and the federal government promotes voluntary conservation efforts because the species may warrant ESA protection in the future.[1]
Overview
Before a species is listed as endangered or threatened, the species is first placed on a list of candidate species. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) defines candidate species as "those species for which the Service has on file sufficient information on biological vulnerability and threat(s)" to listing them as endangered or threatened. A species that has been proposed for listing is a candidate species further along on the listing process to become a federally listed species.[2]
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with federal and state agencies, local governments, conservation groups, businesses and industry, and other private parties to identify potential candidate species. NatureServe, a Virginia-based nonprofit organization that provides wildlife conservation-related data, is a resource used by governments and private organizations to identify potential candidate species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers the following five criteria to identify candidate species. These criteria are the same factors used to determine if a species is endangered or threatened:[3]
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Policy issues
Some environmental groups have argued that the agency has delayed the listing of candidate species that are in need of protection. Furthermore, these groups argued that most candidate species wait too long to be listed. According to a 2016 study in the journal Biological Conservation, between 1983 and 2014 candidate species waited an average of 12.1 years to receive ESA protection. ESA advocates have argued that the delays in listing species have led to further decline in population and in some cases the extinction of species. These advocates recommend an increase to the service's listing budget to deal with these issues.[6]
Some industry groups have argued that species linger on the candidate list because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is hampered by responding to listing petitions and litigation from environmental groups. The Western Energy Alliance, a pro-energy industry group, argued that species listings have increased to an average of 31 per year compared to an average of 20 prior to 2007. As a result, according to this group, the service spends less time and fewer resources on reviewing the candidate species list and conserving species that are already listed. These groups argued that litigation involving some environmental groups result in a larger backlog of candidate species and hinders conservation efforts for listed species.[7]
Listing priority
The director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must concur with additions to the candidate list before species can become official candidates. Candidate species receive a listing priority from one to 12 based on the significance of the threats they face, the proximity of the threats, and the taxonomic uniqueness of the species (for example, a subspecies, which is a species with a taxonomic rank below full species, receives lower priority than full species). The listing priority determines the order in which proposed listing rules are prepared. Species with the greatest risk (with a listing priority between one and three) are proposed for listing first.[1]
Public notice
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service publishes a Candidate Notice of Review (CNOR) each year in the Federal Register. The notice contains an updated list of animal and plant species that are considered candidate species. The purpose of the CNOR is to alert federal and state agencies, local governments, industries, and other private parties that certain species may warrant full Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection. The notice may also spur conservation efforts to remove threats to candidate species and thus remove the possibility of listing.[1]
List of candidate species
USFWS regions
Candidate species are monitored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's eight regional offices, which suggest potential candidate species to the service's director.[8]
List of candidate species
The table below shows a list of candidate species. The federal list contained 59 species as of August 2016. Fifteen species were given a listing priority of three or above, indicating that threats to the species were imminent and of high magnitude. Seven species were given a listing priority of 11 or 12, indicating that threats to the species were non-imminent and of moderate to low magnitude.[9]
| List of candidate species (as of August 2016) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common name (inverted) | Scientific name | USFWS region | Listing priority | Magnitude of threats | Immediacy of threats | Taxonomy |
| Amphipod, Kenk's | Stygobromus kenki | 5 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Bacora, marron | Solanum conocarpum | 4 | 2 | High | Imminent | Species |
| Buckwheat, Frisco | Eriogonum soredium | 6 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Bully, Everglades | Sideroxylon reclinatum ssp. austrofloridense | 4 | 12 | Moderate to low | Non-Imminent | Subspecies/population |
| Butterfly, Hermes copper | Lycaena hermes | 8 | 5 | High | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Butterfly, Island marble | Euchloe ausonides insulanus | 1 | 3 | High | Imminent | Subspecies/population |
| Butterfly, Puerto Rico harlequin | Atlantea tulita | 4 | 2 | High | Imminent | Species |
| Cave beetle, Clifton | Pseudanophthalmus caecus | 4 | 5 | High | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Cave beetle, icebox | Pseudanophthalmus frigidus | 4 | 5 | High | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Cave beetle, Louisville | Pseudanophthalmus troglodytes | 4 | 5 | High | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Cave beetle, Tatum | Pseudanophthalmus parvus | 4 | 5 | High | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Chipmunk, Penasco least | Tamias minimus atristriatus | 2 | 6 | High | Non-Imminent | Subspecies/population |
| clover, Frisco | Trifolium friscanum | 6 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Crabgrass, Florida pineland | Digitaria pauciflora | 4 | 5 | High | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Darter, Arkansas | Etheostoma cragini | 6 | 11 | Moderate to low | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Darter, Pearl | Percina aurora | 4 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Fatmucket, Texas | Lampsilis bracteata | 2 | 2 | High | Imminent | Species |
| Fawnsfoot, Texas | Truncilla macrodon | 2 | 2 | High | Imminent | Species |
| Fescue, Guadalupe | Festuca ligulata | 2 | 11 | Moderate to low | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Fox, Sierra Nevada red | Vulpes vulpes necator | 8 | 3 | High | Imminent | Subspecies/population |
| Frog, relict leopard | Lithobates onca | 8 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Hornshell, Texas | Popenaias popeii | 2 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Milkvetch, Chapin Mesa | Astragalus schmolliae | 6 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Milkvetch, skiff | Astragalus microcymbus | 6 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Moth, rattlesnake-master borer | Papaipema eryngii | 3 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Mudalia, black | Elimia melanoides | 4 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Murrelet, Xantus's | Synthliboramphus hypoleucus | 8 | 5 | High | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Newt, striped | Notophthalmus perstriatus | 4 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Orb, golden | Quadrula aurea | 2 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Panic grass, Hirst Brothers' | Dichanthelium (=Panicum) hirstii | 5 | 2 | High | Imminent | Species |
| Parrot, red-crowned | Amazona viridigenalis | 2 | 2 | High | Imminent | Species |
| Peppergrass, Ostler's | Lepidium ostleri | 6 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Pimpleback, smooth | Quadrula houstonensis | 2 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Pimpleback, Texas | Quadrula petrina | 2 | 2 | High | Imminent | Species |
| Pine, whitebark | Pinus albicaulis | 6 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Prairie-clover, Florida | Dalea carthagenensis floridana | 4 | 3 | High | Imminent | Subspecies/population |
| Ramshorn, magnificent | Planorbella magnifica | 4 | 2 | High | Imminent | Species |
| Redhorse, Sicklefin | Moxostoma sp. | 4 | 5 | High | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Riffle beetle, Stephan's | Heterelmis stephani | 2 | 11 | Moderate to low | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Rockcress, Fremont County | Boechera pusilla | 6 | 11 | Moderate to low | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Salamander, Berry Cave | Gyrinophilus gulolineatus | 4 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Sandmat, pineland | Chamaesyce deltoidea pinetorum | 4 | 12 | Moderate to low | Non-Imminent | Subspecies/population |
| Smelt, longfin | Spirinchus thaleichthys | 8 | 3 | High | Imminent | Subspecies/population |
| Snake, Louisiana pine | Pituophis ruthveni | 4 | 5 | High | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Snowfly, Arapahoe | Arsapnia arapahoe | 6 | 5 | High | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Spineflower, San Fernando Valley | Chorizanthe parryi var. fernandina | 8 | 6 | High | Non-Imminent | Subspecies/population |
| Springsnail, Huachuca | Pyrgulopsis thompsoni | 2 | 11 | Moderate to low | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Squirrel, Washington ground | Urocitellus washingtoni | 1 | 5 | High | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Stonefly, meltwater lednian | Lednia tumana | 6 | 5 | High | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Thistle, Wright's marsh | Cirsium wrightii | 2 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Tiger beetle, highlands | Cicindelidia highlandensis | 4 | 5 | High | Non-Imminent | Species |
| Tortoise, gopher | Gopherus polyphemus | 4 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| Treefrog, Arizona | Hyla wrightorum | 2 | 3 | High | Imminent | Subspecies/population |
| Turtle, Sonoyta mud | Kinosternon sonoriense longifemorale | 2 | 6 | High | Non-Imminent | Subspecies/population |
| Twistflower, bracted | Streptanthus bracteatus | 2 | 8 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Species |
| vole, red tree | Arborimus longicaudus | 1 | 9 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Subspecies/population |
| Walrus, Pacific | Odobenus rosmarus ssp. divergens | 7 | 9 | Moderate to low | Imminent | Subspecies/population |
| Waterdog, black warrior (=Sipsey Fork) | Necturus alabamensis | 4 | 2 | High | Imminent | Species |
| Wormwood, Northern | Artemisia campestris var. wormskioldii | 1 | 3 | High | Imminent | Subspecies/population |
| Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Candidate Species Report" | ||||||
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Candidate Species: Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act," accessed November 1, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Glossary," accessed October 7, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "The Candidate Conservation Process," accessed October 7, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ NOAA Fisheries, "Candidate and Proposed Species Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)," September 1, 2015
- ↑ Science Direct, "Taxa, petitioning agency, and lawsuits affect time spent awaiting listing under the US Endangered Species Act," accessed August 17, 2016
- ↑ Western Energy Alliance, "Sue-and-Settle," accessed August 25, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Map of USFWS regional offices," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Candidate Species Report," accessed August 9, 2016