Delisting

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Delisting (or "delisting a species") is the process of removing an animal or plant species from the endangered and threatened list upon a determination that threats against it have been sufficiently reduced or eliminated.[1]

Overview

The following definitions are used to identify if a species is eligible for delisting, downlisting, or has recovered.[1]

  • To delist a species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must determine that threats to a species have been controlled or eliminated based on population sizes and trends and the stability of a species' habitat.
  • To downlist a species involves reclassifying the species from endangered to threatened. Downlisting occurs if threats to a species have been reduced and if the species has met certain recovery objectives.
  • A species is considered recovered if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determines that a listed animal or plant species can survive without federal protection.

Policy issues

See also: Success rate of the Endangered Species Act and Delisting a species

Delisting is a frequently discussed topic in the argument over the ESA's success.

ESA critics have criticized how few delistings have occurred since 1973 when the law was passed and how slowly the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts the delisting process. Property rights groups have sued to compel the government to act on delisting a species. These critics have also argued that the average recovery rate of listed species is 42 years. According to these critics, an increasing number of species that are being considered for the list and the average recovery rate demonstrate that the law is not working as it should. For some critics, delisting a species should be the law's main goal, and thus, the number of delisted species demonstrates the need for changes to the ESA.[2]

ESA advocates have argued that listing more species is a higher priority than delisting more species and that the ESA affords protection that many species need due to human activity and human-induced climate change. Some environmental groups have praised the ESA as a strong legal tool to protect at-risk species. Moreover, these organizations have been critical of the Fish and Wildlife Service's delisting of species that they argue should remain listed. One example is the gray wolf, which was proposed for delisting in early 2013 (a decision that was later reversed in court). Environmental groups argued that the agency delisted the species prematurely before the wolf's populations could fully recover. Those who support the ESA argue that the average recovery of a listed species is 42 years, so the number of delisted species will be fewer than the number of listed species.[3][4]

Delisting process

See also: Delisting a species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers the following five factors to determine whether to delist a species. The factors can be weighed differently depending on the species:[1]

“
  • Is there a present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of the species’ habitat or range?
  • Is the species subject to over-utilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes?
  • Is disease or predation a factor?
  • Are there adequate existing regulatory mechanisms in place, taking into account the initiatives by States and other organizations, to protect the species or habitat?
  • Are other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence?[5]
 ”
—U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service[1]

Based on a combination of the above five factors, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determines if the species' population has improved since its listing. If it has not improved, the species remains listed. If the species has improved, the agency will propose to delist or downlist the species.[1]

Private individuals and groups may propose to get a species delisted by submitting a petition with substantial information indicating that that delisting may be warranted.[6]

Delisted species

See also: Delisted species

As of August 2016, 66 species were delisted nationally. Of those species, 37 were delisted due to recovery, 19 species were listed in error for scientific reasons or because new information about a species was discovered, and 10 species went extinct.[7]

The table below shows the names of all recovered species as of August 2016. Click the [show] button to see the names of all delisted species since 1973 and the reason for their delisting.[7]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Delisting a Species - Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act," accessed August 27, 2015
  2. ↑ U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, "Statement By Damien M. Schiff Principal Attorney Pacific Legal Foundation," August 1, 2013
  3. ↑ Center for Biological Diversity, "Measuring the Success of the Endangered Species Act," February 2006
  4. ↑ KCET.org, "Scientists Call B.S. -- Bad Science, That Is -- on Wolf Delisting," February 7, 2014
  5. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  6. ↑ SWCA Environmental Consultants, "Off the List: Applying the ESA to Reduce Unwarranted Regulation," December 1, 2014
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Delisted Species Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)," accessed August 27, 2015
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