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Peer Review of Scientific Information

Reclassification of the American Crocodile Distinct Population Segment (DPS) in Florida From Endangered to Threatened and Status Review

About the Document

Title:  Reclassification of the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) DPS in Florida from Endangered to Threatened

Purpose:  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is assessing the status of the federally listed endangered American crocodile in the state of Florida under section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).  Under this section of the Act, we can determine whether or not any federally listed species should be removed from the List (delisted), or reclassified from endangered to threatened or from threatened to endangered.

About the Peer Review Process

Type of Review:  Influential

Date of Peer Review:  Peer review will occur between March 2005 and May 2005.

Estimated Dissemination Date of the Final Rulemaking Document:  December 2006.

Process:  The Service will conduct external peer review of this document through letters sent to three or more independent scientific reviewers with expertise in crocodilian biology and conservation, conservation biology, reptile biology, and wildlife biology and conservation.

The Service will make formal requests for peer review from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, University of Florida, and Wildlife Conservation Society.  Peer review of the scientific information used in our analysis and the validity of the data will be requested.

The Service will use the information received from the peer review, as appropriate, in the conclusions and recommendations for the status of the American crocodile DPS.

About Public Participation

Public comments on the proposed reclassification were sought with a Federal Register rulemaking on March 24, 2005, and the distribution by mail and press release of this announcement to interested parties.

The Service will publish a final notice in the Federal Register regarding the reclassification of the American crocodile DPS, including a summary of the results of the peer review.  This peer review plan is made available on this website to allow the public to monitor our compliance with the Office of Management and Budget’s Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review.

Contact

Cindy Schulz , U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, South Florida Ecological Services Office,  772-562-3909