Listing petition
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A listing petition is a formal request from any member of the public to list a species as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.[1]
Background
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) allows any member of the public to submit a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list a species as endangered or threatened. Since all listing actions must be based on "the best scientific and commercial data available," a listing petition must contain scientific information justifying the species' listing.
Petition process
The ESA requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service (which oversees all marine species) to publish specific findings for each petition. These findings must determine whether enough information exists to justify the listing of a species. The agency must produce its first finding (commonly known as a 90-day finding) within 90 days of receiving a petition. If the agency determines that sufficient information exists to justify listing a species, the agency must conduct a fuller status review of the species within 12 months (commonly known as a 12-month finding) of receiving a petition.[1]
If the agency determines a species should be listed, the agency will publish a proposal to list the species. If the proposal is precluded by higher priority listing actions, the agency will defer the proposal. The species is then added to a list of candidate species—species for which the federal government has sufficient information to list them as endangered or threatened but for which listing proposals are superseded by higher priority listing actions. Any deferred listing proposal must receive subsequent 12-month findings on each anniversary of the petition.[1]
Petition contents
The following information summarizes the minimum requirements for a listing petition:[2]
- The document must be identified as an Endangered Species Act listing petition.
- The petition must contain all information, including name, address and signature, of the individual, organization, or institution filing the petition.
Evaluating a petition
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service evaluates whether a listing petition contains "substantial scientific or commercial information" as required under the Endangered Species Act about a species' endangered or threatened status. The federal government does not conduct additional research to evaluate a listing petition beyond the Fish and Wildlife Service's readily available materials. A listing petition must include the following:[2]
- The common and scientific name of the species
- Information on the past and present numbers, and distribution, of the species
- Analysis of all threats faced by the species
- Information about the species' status in all or a significant portion of its current range
- Supporting documents, including important publications, bibliographic references, and maps
See also
- Endangered Species Act
- Implementation of the Endangered Species Act
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Endangered species
Footnotes
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