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State environmental policy
U.S. environmental policy
Endangered species policy
State endangered species
Federal land policy
Environmental terms

Endangered species is an animal or plant species in danger of extinction within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. Once a species is listed as endangered, federal protective measures apply. Individuals are prohibited fromtaking a listed species or adversely modifying its habitat. Federal agencies must consult with theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if a federally funded or authorized action may affect a listed species or its habitat.^[1][2]

Background

Under theEndangered Species Act (ESA), theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) uses five criteria to determine whether species are endangered or threatened:

If the best available scientific and commercial information indicates that any one or more of these criteria are met, either FWS or NMFS can initiate a formal rulemaking process to list the species as endangered.^[2]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can list species as threatened. A threatened species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.^[2]

Impact of listing

Private actions

Federal law prohibits the taking of a listed species. Under Endangered Species Act, to take a species is to "harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct." TheU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service further defines harm to mean "an act which actually kills or injures wildlife." According to federal law, harassing a species is defined as "an intentional or negligent act or omission which creates the likelihood of injury to wildlife by annoying it to such an extent as to significantly disrupt normal behavioral patterns which include, but are not limited to, breeding, feeding, or sheltering." State governments may apply further restrictions on the taking of a listed species.^[4][5]

Under the Endangered Species Act, individuals who knowingly take a listed species can be fined up to $25,000 each violation or instance. Individuals who otherwise unknowingly take a species can be fined up to $500 for each violation or instance. The text of the law containing all federal penalties can be foundhere.^[6][7][8]

Federal actions

Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to consult with theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if a federally permitted or authorized action could affect listed species. If the federal agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agree that the proposed action will not adversely affect a species, the consultation ends and the proposed action moves forward. If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or a federal agency determines that the action may affect a listed species, a biological opinion or review must be made to determine the precise effects of the proposed federal action on listed species.^[9]

If a federal agency or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determines that the proposed action is likely to adversely affect a listed species, the agencies must consult further to investigate how the proposed action will affect listed species. Formal consultation can last up to 90 days. If the proposed action will have adverse effects, a federal agency must modify or adjust the proposed action to minimize adverse effects.^[9]

Listed species in the United States

All listed species

As of August 2016, there were 695 federally listed animal species—494 endangered species and 201 threatened species—in theUnited States. There were 898 federally listed plant species—732 endangered species and 166 threatened species—as of August 2016. Including foreign species, the total number of listed species was 2,266 as of August 2016. The table below summarizes the number of endangered and threatened species.^[10]

Listed species by animal group

As of August 2016, there were 695 federally listed animal species in the United States. The largest animal groups were fishes (162 listed species), mammals (99 listed species), and birds (98 species), and clams (88 listed species). The table below shows the breakdown of all endangered and threatened animal species by group as of August 2016.

Listed species by plant group

As of August 2016, there were 898 federally listed plant species in the United States. The vast majority of listed plant species were flowering plants (861 species). The table below shows the breakdown of all endangered and threatened plant species by group as of August 2016.

Listed species by state

In the 50 states, there were 2,389 species listed under the Endangered Species Act as of July 2016 (this does not include species protected in U.S. territories and includes species in multiple states). The map below shows the number of species protected under theEndangered Species Act in each state as of July 2016.^[11]

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the termsEndangered species. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

• Endangered Species Act
• Implementation of the Endangered Species Act
• Glossary of environmental terms

Footnotes

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