|
|
Ecological Services
Species Conservation
Listing, Reclassifying, and Delisting |
| The Fish & Wildlife Servce determines whether to add (or remove) a species to the Federal list of threatened and endangered wildlife and plants, or designate critical habitat for a listed species, using criteria and procedures that are set forth by Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act. In order to list, reclassify or delist a species, the Service must follow a strict legal process known as a rulemaking procedure. The public is offered an opportunity to comment, and the rule is finalized or withdrawn. The process normally takes two years to complete. All notices prepared during the rulemaking process are published in the Federal Register. More detail on this process can be obtained at the following link: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/listing-overview.html
In addition, Section 4(b)(3) of the Endangered Species Act allows any interested individual to petition the Service to list, delist, or reclassify a species, or to revise a listed species critical habitat.
Once listed, a species is afforded the full range of protection available under the ESA including prohibitions on killing, harming or otherwise taking a species. In some instances, species listing can be avoided by development of a Candidate Conservation Agreement that may work to remove potential threats facing the candidate species.
Information on proposed, listed and candidate species that occur within the Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office’s geographic range of responsibility can be found on the Nevada Protected Species Page. |
| |
|
Last updated:
January 13, 2010
