|
|
What is a five-year review?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is required under section 4(c)
(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) to conduct
reviews of each federally listed species These five-year reviews are
conducted to determine if a federally listed species should be delisted,
reclassified from endangered to threatened status or from threatened
to endangered status, or status of the species should remain the same.
The purpose of a five-year review is to ensure that listed species
have the appropriate level of protection under the Act.
Our progress to date?
The Southeast Region has lead responsibility
for over 300 federally listed species. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2005,
we actively initiated five-year reviews for greater than one fifth
or 79 of our species. In FY 2006,
we initiated reviews for 70 of our species.
In FY 2007, we initiated reviews
for about 60 of our species. In FY 2008, we are in the process of
initiating review for about 50 of our species. Please see the
Federal Register notices for all of the Southeast Region’s
five-year reviews that were initiated in FY
2005,
FY 2006, FY
2007, and FY 2008
These reviews in general will take approximately one year to complete.
Some reviews may take longer based on several reasons including extra
coordination required between multiple parties or a wide ranging species
that may have extensive information available and requiring review.
The Southeast Region is actively working on five-year
reviews and scheduling five-year reviews for our remaining lead listed
species. We anticipate initiating more reviews for listed species
in FY 2009. As Federal Register notices get published, we will update
this website.
The Southeast Region has completed some five-year reviews. Please
view completed five-year reviews by the Southeast Region. We will continue
to update this website as more reviews are completed.
What is involved in a five-year review?
A five-year review will consider the best scientific available data
regarding the species, particularly any information that has become
available since the current listing determination or most recent status
review of the species. Such information includes:
- species biology including, but not limited to, population trends,
distribution, abundance, and demographics, and genetics;
- habitat conditions including, but not limited to, amount, distribution,
and suitability;
- conservation measures that have been implemented that benefit
the species;
- threat status and trends;
- other new information, data, or corrections including but not
limited to changes in taxonomy or nomenclature, identification
of erroneous information contained in the List of Endangered
and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; and improved analytical methods.
The review will assess: (1) whether new information suggests that
the species is increasing, declining, or stable; (2) whether existing
threats are increasing, unchanged, reduced, or eliminated; (3) if there
are any new threats; and, (4) if any new information or analysis calls
into question any of the conclusions in the original listing determination
as to the species= classification.
The five-year review simply outlines recommendations about whether
or not to change the species classification, thus indicating that a
rulemaking is necessary. A species classification cannot be changed
until the formal rulemaking process, which includes a public review
and comment period, is complete.
Have 5-year reviews been completed in the past?
Five-year reviews are required under the ESA and have been completed
by the Service in the past, but because of budget constraints, higher
priority workload issues, and the other requirements of the ESA, the
Service has not, until recently, been able to complete more recent
five-year reviews as expeditiously as we would like.
Assessments of listed species status, however, are also accomplished
as part of recovery planning and implementation efforts, our consultation
process with other Federal agencies under section 7 of the ESA, our
permitting program under section 10 of the ESA, our petition process
under section 4 of the ESA, and other activities related to listed
species.
Under the ESA, our responsibilities involving species assessment include:
- Section 4(f)(3) of the ESA requires us
to report every two years to Congress on the status of efforts
to develop and implement recovery plans for all listed species,
and on the status of all species for which recovery plans have
been developed;
- We annually assess the status of each
listed species as a measure of our progress
in achieving our goals under the Government Performance and Results
Act of 1993 (31 U.S.C. 1115).
|