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GAO-06-463R 1 (2006-04-06)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptatea0001 and id is 1 raw text is: SpGAO Accountability * Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 April 6, 2006 Congressional Requesters: Subject: Endangered Species: Time and Costs Required to Recover Species Are Largely Unknown The Endangered Species Act of 1973 protects species facing extinction (endangered species) or likely to face extinction (threatened species) and the ecosystems upon which they depend. The act has long been a lightning rod for political debate about the extent to which the nation's natural resources should be protected and how best to protect them. Implementation of the act has also been the subject of numerous lawsuits that have consumed significant program resources.' Since the act's inception, about 1,300 domestic species have been placed on the list of threatened and endangered species. Supporters of the act claim it is an indication of the act's success that only 9 of these species have gone extinct; particularly, since by the time they are listed species, they are often in critical condition. Critics, on the other hand, counter that it is an indication of the act's failure that only 17 of these species have recovered, or improved to the point that they no longer need the act's protection. However, we believe that these numbers, by themselves, are not a good gauge of the act's success or failure; additional information on when, if at all, a species can be expected to fully recover and be removed from the list would provide needed context for a fair evaluation of the act's performance. Similarly, estimates of the total costs to recover the species would be necessary to evaluate whether sufficient resources have been devoted to recovery efforts. The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), collectively referred to as the services, are the federal agencies responsible for ensuring implementation of the Endangered Species Act.2 The act generally requires the services to develop and implement recovery plans for the conservation and survival of endangered and 'In 2002 and 2003, we reported that litigation relating to the Fish and Wildlife Service's critical habitat program consumes significant program resources. Courts remanded a number of these cases to FWS for reconsideration of critical habitat designations; consequently, FWS redesignated critical habitat for numerous species. At the time, we recommended that FWS expedite its efforts to develop guidance on designating critical habitat to reduce its exposure to future litigation. See GAO, Endangered Species: Fish and Wildlife Service Uses Best Available Science to Make Listing Decisions, but Additional Guidance Needed for Critical Habitat Designations, CAf)-80803 (Washington, D.C: Aug. 29, 2003); and Endangered Species Program: Information on How Funds Are Allocated and What Activities Are Emphasized, AO02- 581 (Washington, D.C.: June 25, 2002). 2The act requires the Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce to implement these responsibilities; the Secretaries have delegated implementation authority to FWS and NMFS. FWS has primary responsibility for fresh water and land species, while NMFS has primary responsibility for anadromous fish and most marine species. GAO-06-463R Endangered Species Recovery

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