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Endangered Species: Factors Associated With Delayed Listing Decisions

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date Aug. 5, 1993
Report No. RCED-93-152
Subject
Summary:

Delays by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in listing six species as either threatened or endangered were due to several factors, the most common of which were FWS concerns about the sufficiency of biological data and concerns about potential economic and other impacts. GAO found that the conservation agreements for the Bruneau Hot Springsnail and the Jemez Mountains salamander were inconsistent with FWS policy and guidance. Whether a conservation agreement is an appropriate means of protecting species that would otherwise warrant listing is a decision for FWS to make. On the basis of its findings, however, GAO concludes that a conservation agreement, if it is to be an effective alternative to listing, should (1) address known threats to a species that would otherwise warrant listing, (2) provide for monitoring to ensure that the agreement's mechanisms for protecting the species are properly and fully implemented, and (3) be implemented in a timely manner.

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