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Preventive Veterinary Medicine

By May 1 of this year, 1,243 U.S. species have passed through the emergency room to the intensive care unit to be cared for under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). About 16,800 other species have begun to exhibit symptoms of decline and need preventive care. Will they receive that care? Past experience suggests they will not, but some people are trying to change that.

Throughout the country a new conservation movement is being developed by federal, state, and local agency representatives; Tribes; private landowners; conservation organizations; industry representatives; academics; and other stakeholders. They are writing the prescription for preventative medicine. These people are concerned about the increasing numbers of endangered species, concerned that more species are being listed federally than are being recovered, frustrated about the contentious nature of endangered species issues, and wonder what could be done to ensure that species are conserved without the need for protection under the ESA. They believe that waiting until species are on the brink of extinction to conserve them is simply bad business, whether from an ecological or an economic perspective, and it is time to get ahead of the curve.

Examples of partnership agreements and programs that have precluded the need to list under the Endangered Species Act include the Pecos pupfish (Cyprinodon pecosensis) in New Mexico and Texas, the Umpqua mariposa lily (Calochortus umpquaensis) in Oregon, and a California plant, the Cuyamaca Lake dowingia (Dowiningia concolor var. brevior). Building on this success, the state fish and wildlife agencies, working through the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (IAFWA), in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management, are hosting a series of invited-participation workshops from March through May 2001 to bring together parties interested in conservation of the Nation's fish and wildlife resources. The purpose of these professionally facilitated discussions is to:

* explore ways to make State Conservation Agreements (SCAs) an effective means by which to maintain healthy species and ecosystems;

* provide for constructive exchange of information and ideas regarding development and implementation of SCAs among a wide range of interests; and

* synthesize and disseminate the results of the workshops in a way that will help all parties advance the use of SCAs.

The workshops are being held in Las Vegas, Nevada; Portland, Oregon; Chicago, Illinois; Frankfort, Kentucky; Atlanta, Georgia; and Albany, New York. Expected outcomes include:

* clarity as to how state SCAs can be used to achieve conservation objectives;

* guidelines that interested parties can use to develop effective SCAs;

* increased communication, collaboration and understanding among current and potential partners about the role and value of developing SCAs;

* identification of incentives for states, industry and landowners to develop SCAs

* reduced need for reliance on the federal ESA to prevent adverse impacts to species and habitats; and

* increased application of limited resources to effective, on-the-ground conservation and fewer resources dedicated to litigation.

In November 2000, state and federal agency representatives met twice to share their experiences to date with Conservation Agreements and develop a sense of issues and concerns the agencies need to explore with other parties involved in development and implementation of SCAs. A primary outcome of these sessions was a decision to enhance the use of SCAs as a proactive conservation tool that complements existing approaches for those species that are already in the federal listing process (i.e. candidate and listed species).

The government partners in this enterprise intend to develop a functional model for an SCA that can be adopted by the collective state fish and wildlife agencies at the IAFWA conference in September 2001, and which can be implemented under state leadership in collaboration with willing cooperators. By using SCAs to conserve species that may be declining but which are not yet imperiled, we can better fulfill our roles as wildlife steward and at the same time help stem the flow of federal listings under the ESA.

The model the agencies envision will not be a restrictive formula. There are just too many variations in species-specific circumstances for a "one size fits all" approach. Instead, it is envisioned as a set of comprehensive guidelines that identify the crucial elements that should be considered in drafting an SCA. The better the elements are addressed, the more likely it will be that a petition or legal action would result in a decision that federal listing is unwarranted. To facilitate broad collaboration in these agreements, the model will clearly delineate mechanisms and incentives for participation by private and public stakeholders.

The work will not end with the model. The agencies have already begun tackling how to develop dedicated funding for the SCA program and how to determine state, regional and national priorities for allocating the funds. This phase will be even more challenging than developing the model, but it is essential to see it through to closure over the next year or so. As the plan comes together, we will provide more information to stakeholders.

Enthusiasm for this new proactive approach is growing. Stakeholders across the country are collaborating in crafting state and local solutions to conservation of natural resources and prevention of species declines: A prescription for success. This is just what the doctor ordered.

Terry B. Johnson is Chief of the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program in the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Nancy Gloman is Chief of the Office of Partnerships and Outreach for the endangered species program in the Fish and Wildlife Service's Arlington, Virginia, headquarters office.

COPYRIGHT 2001 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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