Improving Recovery Planning for Threatened and Endangered Species

T he Endangered Species Act (ESA) is arguably the most important legislation passed by the United States Congress to protect and their habitats (the use of the term species covers species, subspecies, and even distinct populations). The ESA has three major provisions (Rohlf 1989, Schwalbe 1993, Mueller 1994, NRC 1995, Easter-Pilcher 1996). First, it stipulates a process for determining whether or not a candidate should be listed as threatened or endangered, based solely on scientific information and specifically excluding potential economic impact. Second, it provides listed with legal protection to reduce the threat of extinction. The principal protections are limits to take-that is, to the destruction of a listed or