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Feds Announce Candidate Species Listing Schedule
“The settlement agreement is working and it is exciting to see all the species that might finally be protected under Endangered Species Act,” said Taylor Jones, Endangered Species Advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “After years of waiting without protection on the candidate species list, the end is in sight for these imperiled plants and animals.”
Already two years old, the settlement agreement has already resulted in 54 new species listings and the designation of 94,689 acres and 2,032 stream miles of critical habitat to support their recovery. These include a suite of freshwater mussels in Alabama and Florida (native North American freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled groups of animals on the planet), a large number of Hawaiian species, and three plants threatened by energy development in Colorado.
Candidate species receiving action deadlines in the workplan include the Siskiyou mariposa lily, Xantus’s murrelet, white fringeless orchid, Sprague’s pipit, Louisiana pine snake, Washington ground squirrel, Sonoyta mud turtle, Northern wormwood, and many more.
“We welcome the clarity that this comprehensive workplan brings,” said Jones. “Now conservationists, concerned citizens, and scientists can better prepare to engage in the listing process to protect all the imperiled species included in the agreement.”
Listing under the Endangered Species Act has proven to be an effective safety net for imperiled species: more than 99 percent of plants and animals listed under the Act persist today. But the law only protects species that are formally listed as “threatened” or “endangered.” Plants and animals on the candidate list were previously recognized by the Service as warranting listing under the Act. Some candidate species have waited for more than three decades for protection.