Recovery of imperiled species under the Endangered Species Act: the need for a new approach

By J. Scott, D. Goble, John A. Wiens, D. Wilcove, M. Bean, Timothy D. Male. 2005

184 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The recovery (delisting) of a threatened or endangered species is often accompanied by the expectation that conservation management of the species will no longer be necessary. However, the magnitude and pace of human impacts on the environment make it unlikely that substantial progress will be made in delisting many species unless the definition of “recovery” includes some form of active management. Preventing delisted species from again being at risk of extinction may require continuing, species-specific management actions. We characterize such species as “conservation-reliant”, and suggest that viewing “recovery” as a continuum of states rather than as a simple “recovered/not recovered” dichotomy may enhance our ability to manage such species within the framework of the Endangered Species Act. With ongoing loss of habitat, disruption of natural disturbance regimes, and the increasing impacts of non-native invasive species, it is probable that the number of conservation-reliant species will increase. We ...

Subfields: Ecology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/632bfb737802d2abeba004486d47ff4e24024cea

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Ecology

1. Peter B. Adams
2. Robert S. Schick
3. R. B. MacFarlane
4. Sheila Greene
5. Ethan A. Mora
6. Dennis R. McEwan
7. James J. Anderson
8. John G. Williams

In Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

1. Georgina M. Mace
2. J. Baillie
3. Simon N. Stuart
4. John J. Wiens
5. E. Sanderson
6. J. Walters
7. John G. Williams
8. Gustavo A. B. da Fonseca

In Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

1. Georgina M. Mace
2. E. Sanderson
3. Gustavo A. B. da Fonseca
4. John M. Marzluff
5. M. Neel

Citations in the corpus

• Framework for Assessing Viability of Threatened and Endangered Chinook Salmon and Steelhead in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Basin (2007, background): “Accept the notion that listed salmonid ESUs are likely to be conservation-reliant (Scott et al. 2005).”
• Conservation‐reliant species and the future of conservation (2010, background): “We have previously labeled such species “conservation reliant” because they will require some form of conservation management for the foreseeable future (Scott et al. 2005).”
• Status of the California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) and Efforts to Achieve Its Recovery (2010, background): “However, continued realization that conservation-dependent species like condors require longterm, active management (Scott et al. 2005) demands that we do better.”
• From archives to conservation: why historical data are needed to set baselines for marine animals and ecosystems (2012, background): “Historical data pertaining to past abundances or geographic ranges can also be used to help to inform recovery targets (Scott et al. 2005).”
• What Does It Mean to Successfully Conserve a (Vertebrate) Species? (2011, background): “This is a foundational question for conservation biology, but it remains curiously unexamined (but see Scott et al. 2005, IUCN-SSC 2008).”