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3 Endangered Species Tech. Bull. 1 (1978)

handle is hein.animal/endanspb0003 and id is 1 raw text is: January 1978, Vol. III, No. 1 Department of the Interior * U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service * Endangered Species Program, Washington, D.C. 20240 New evidence that ivory poachers are decimating herds of African ele- phants (Loxodonia africana) has prompted the Service to propose the species for Threatened status (F.R. 1/16/78). The proposal sets forth several op- tions for controlling the import of ivory products into the United States to help reduce illegal slaughter of the great beasts. Elephants once roamed the en- tire continent but are now confined to a few remnant patches of habitat. Threatened status for the elephant was sought last August by the Fund for Animals in a petition to the Service. But the information submitted at that time was deemed insufficient for action. The current proposal is based in part on data provided by Dr. lain Douglas- Hamilton who has been surveying the elephant's status for nearly two years in a three-year study sponsored by the International Union for the Conserva- tion of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The study is supported by the World Wildlife Fund and the New York Zoological Society. Of the 34 nations where current in- formation is available, the survey to date shows the elephant has recently become extinct in four countries (Gam- bia, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, and Swaziland) and is declining sharply in 18 other countries. Two countries have both declines and increases in differ- ent areas; four countries have stable populations, and only one-Somalia- has an increasing population. Trends have not been determined in the five remaining nations. Ivory Kill Estimates On the basis of African ivory exports to Hong Kong and other countries (continued on page 7) Section 7 Final Rules Set For Interagency Consultation The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) have issued a joint final rule- making (F.R. 1/4/78) that sets forth the consultation process to assist Federal agencies in complying with section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Section 7 prohibits Federal agencies from authorizing, funding, or carrying out any action that may jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or destroy or modify their Critical Habi- tats. The rulemaking, which took effect upon publication, differs in several im- portant respects from the procedures proposed by the Service on January 28, 1977 (see February 1977 BULLETIN). Consultation Mandatory One of the major changes is that consultation with either the Service or NMFS is now mandatory if a Federal agency finds that its activities or pro- grams may affect a listed species in any way. However, the regulations also provide flexibility to permit most Fed- eral actions to be carried out without jeopardizing the continued existence of Endangered or Threatened plants and animals. In the proposed procedures, initia- tion of consultation was discretionary on the part of the affected agency. The decision to require consultation was taken to promote conformance with recent Federal court decisions setting forth the policy that consultation is requisite to administration of the law by the Secretaries of Interior and Com- merce. After such consultation, it is the responsibility of the involved agency (or agencies) to decide whether or not (continued on page 6) Threatened Status Sought for African Elephant to Curb Slaughter for Ivory

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