Page 33 - GW-Winter 2023-2024 flipbuilder_Neat

The ESA may also require the agencies to create a recovery plan,
Road to Recovery: The Basics a detailed planning document that describes actions that can be taken
Once a domestic species is listed, the agencies (FWS and NMFS) to restore a species to the point it no longer needs ESA protections.
designate its critical habitat—a geographic area with the physical The recovery plan for the ocelot, for example, recommends the
and biological features a species needs to survive and recover. government acquires and restores land for ocelot habitat and installs
For example, proposed critical habitat for the Texas kangaroo rat underpasses and wildlife crossings at specific busy roadways.
totals 597,069 acres in five Texas counties. A recovery plan also includes measurable criteria for determining if
Critical habitat can even include geographic areas where a species has reached recovery, and estimates for how long recovery will
a species is not found at the time it is listed. This is a kind of take and how much it will cost. Recovery plans are implemented by the
insurance in case the species’ current habitat becomes unsuitable agencies in collaboration with other federal agencies, Tribes, local and
due to development, pollution, invasive species, or climate change. state governments, conservation organizations, and private citizens.
The Act requires federal agencies to consult with the FWS and the See the full recovery plans for ocelots and other species at https://ecos.
NMFS to ensure that any activities they carry out, fund, or permit fws.gov/ecp/report/species-with-recovery-plans.
won’t adversely affect the species or its designated critical habitat.

Grizzly
Bear

33
BROOKFIELD ZOO | WINTER 2023/24 33