Endangered Species Recovery and the SCB Study: A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Perspective

• Published in: Ecological applications 2002-06, Vol.12 (3), p.719-723
• Main Authors: Crouse, Deborah T., Mehrhoff, Loyal A., Parkin, Mary J., Elam, Diane R., Chen, Linus Y.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: action plans; Applied ecology; Biology; Conservation biology; Endangered species; Endangered Species Act; Habitat conservation; Invited Feature: Recovery Plans for Endangered Species; recovery plans; Society for Conservation Biology; Species; Threatened species; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Wildlife conservation; Wildlife ecology; Wildlife studies
• ISSN: 1051-0761; 1939-5582
• DOI: 10.1890/1051-0761(2002)012[0719:ESRATS]2.0.CO;2

As agency biologists with more than 30 years of collective recovery experience, we provide our perspective on the endangered species recovery planning process and the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) recovery planning study. As part of the continuum from listing through recovery planning and implementation to species recovery and delisting, we believe that clearly written, well-designed recovery plans can play a key role in organizing and focusing the recovery effort for endangered and threatened species. We outline major opportunities, constraints, and limitations of the recovery planning process. Next we discuss some of the major results and recommendations of the SCB recovery plan study and identify 10 action items for further U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service consideration as possible ways to strengthen our recovery program for endangered and threatened species.