Transcript Slide 1 - Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• What causes some species to become
rare or extinct?
• How does management of rare,
threatened, & endangered species differ
from that of common species?
• What are mandates/legislation for
endangered species conservation?
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• What is recovery planning & does it work?
• What are conflicts & issues regarding T&E
laws and management?
• Who cares?
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
What do the terms mean?
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Endangered
Threatened
Vulnerable
Species of (special) concern
– Rare?
• FL
– Federally listed
– Threatened
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• Factors leading to extinction or endangered
status
– Natural causes
– Overexploitation*
– Habitat destruction, alteration, & fragmentation (#1)*
– Introduced species*
– Chains of extinction*
* The Evil Quartet
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• Natural causes of extinction or endangerment
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• Overexploitation
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• Habitat (#1)
– Loss, change, & fragmentation
• Toxic substances
• Artificial structures
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• Introduced (exotic) species
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• Chains of extinction
Species #3
Species #1
Species #2
Species #4
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• What makes a species prone to rarity or extinction?
– Restricted geographic range
– Narrow habitat tolerance & specialized adaptations
– Small local population
– High genetic vulnerability
– Species of importance to humans
– Low reproductive potential
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• Restricted geographic range
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• Narrow habitat tolerance & specialized
adaptations
– Range of tolerance & niche
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
– “Problem” behaviors
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• Small local population
– Large carnivores
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• High genetic vulnerability
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• Species of importance to humans
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered
Wildlife
• Low reproductive potential
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
(U.S Fish & Wildlife Service)
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• What makes a species prone to rarity or extinction?
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Restricted geographic range
Narrow habitat tolerance & specialized adaptations
Small local population
High genetic vulnerability
Species of importance to humans
Low reproductive potential
Are all needed to go extinct or become endangered?
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
Endangered Species Organizations & Legislation
• State, federal, international, and private listings
– Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
– Federal Register
• Dept. of the Interior
– U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (& National Marine Fisheries Service)
– Red Data Books
• International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN)
– World Conservation Union
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
Endangered Species Legislation
• Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966
– Fish & wildlife and their habitat/ecosystems protected
• Lists, regulations, & recovery plans
– Research, land & water acquisition, and refuge system
• 1964 Land & Water Conservation Fund
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
Endangered Species Legislation
• Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969
– All vertebrates & some invertebrates
– International
– Import regulations
– Led to Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES; not signed until
1973)
• Appendix I
• Appendix II
• Appendix III
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
Endangered Species Legislation
• Endangered Species Act of 1973
– Plants
• Only insect pests excluded
– Separate populations & subspecies
– Species that are similar in appearance
• Amended
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1978: Federal agencies & “God Squad”
1982: Economics & experiments
1988: Monitoring & public involvement
1999: Safe Harbor
Today?
• Similar laws at state level
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
Endangered Species Legislation
• Listing & delisting
– Secretary of Interior
• Criteria
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Habitat destruction
Overexploitation
Threatened eradication from disease or predation
Inadequate regulations for protection
Other factors affecting its continued existence
• Review list every 5 years
• Emergency powers
• Candidate species
– Category 1
– Category 2
– Category 3
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
Implications of the Endangered Species Act
• Federal government
– All federal agencies
• States
• Private Sector
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
Recovery Planning
• Recovery teams
• Prepare recovery plans
– Obtain all relevant information
– Determine gaps in knowledge
– Identify factors leading to decline
– Set recovery goals (population size & distribution)
• Delisting can occur when goals are reached
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
Recovery Plans based on MVP’s & PVA’s
• Red-cockaded woodpeckers
– 500 breeding adults in at least 250 clans
• Gray wolves
– 100 wolves in WI & MI for 5 consecutive years
• Whooping Crane
– 1000 birds in the Wood Buffalo breeding
population for at least 10 years
– 2 additional self-sustaining populations of at
least 25 breeding pairs
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
Recovery Planning
• With limited $, which species do we focus on
and save?
– U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service & NOAA
• Who will benefit most?
– “Warm & fuzzy” & most support
– Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
– Triage Approach
• Difficulty, benefits, & uniqueness
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
Conflicts
• Private landowners & businesses
• National interests
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
Incentives for non-federal landowners
• Safe Harbor Policy
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
Management
• Proximate vs. ultimate factors
– Protection of critical habitat
– Improving reproduction & recruitment
– Improving survival
– Avoiding genetic problems
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
Management
• Different than non-endangered species?
– More intense & artificial
• Food, cover, water, & space
• Species v. community management
Rare, Threatened, & Endangered Wildlife
• Who cares?