|
Species at risk are animal and plant species
that are not yet federally listed as threatened
or endangered under the Endangered Species
Act (ESA), but that are either designated
as candidates for listing or are regarded
as critically imperiled or imperiled throughout
their range.
While not currently protected under the ESA,
conserving these species now may prevent the
need to list them in the future.
 |
The Panama City Field Office compiled and ranked
plant species of concern occurring within the field
office work area (Florida, Alabama, and Georgia )
to assist in determining which plant species should
be considered for additional research or possible
federal listing. First, a literature search for plant
occurrences within the PCFL work area was compiled
for plants listed as special concern, threatened,
or endangered status by the states. The list was narrowed
to 36 plants occurring in the three states. Categories
for evaluating the species included: occurrences (number
of confirmed populations), abundance (number of estimated
individuals), range (distribution), protection (number
of sites on protected land), degree of threat, and
special considerations (aspects of biology including
reproduction, pollination, endemism, and taxonomy).
Currently 14 species range from 2 to 8.5 and six of
them have completed or partial status surveys. We
consider that status reviews should be implemented
immediately for those species that rank < 8.5. For the list, click
here.
|
|
