We assess the conservation status of species for their addition to, and removal from, the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants (List) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We may initiate a species assessment through our internal assessment process or in response to a petition from the public. We conduct a formal rulemaking process to change the List by: adding a species (list) and designating critical habitat, changing the status of a species from endangered to threatened (downlist) or from threatened to endangered (uplist), and removing a species (delist). Formal rulemaking includes public comment and scientific peer review.
See PDF of all species in Northeast Region that are listed as threatened or endangered, proposed for listing, candidates for listing or delisted (April 2013). You can also create a custom report of species by doing an advanced search.
Click each link below to expand the section and learn more:
Under the
ESA, species may be listed as either endangered or threatened. "Endangered" means a species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. "Threatened" means a species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. All species of plants and animals, except pest insects, are eligible for listing as endangered or threatened. For the purposes of the ESA, Congress defined species to include subspecies, varieties, and, for vertebrates, distinct population segments.
Learn more about which species are listed and where.
When a species is able to survive on its own in the wild, the species is considered to be "recovered," and protection of the
ESA is no longer necessary. When we remove species from the List, we "delist" them. To delist species, we are required to determine that threats have been eliminated or controlled, based on several factors including population sizes and trends and the stability of habitat quality and quantity. When we reclassify species from endangered to threatened, a less dire status, we "downlist" them. If some of the threats have been controlled and the population has met recovery objectives for downlisting, we may consider changing the status of the species to threatened.
Learn more about the downlisting and delisting process.
Learn which species have been reclassified (downlisted or uplisted) and delisted.
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