[Federal Register: December 18, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 244)]
[Notices]
[Page 77052-77053]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18de08-80]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2008-NO247; 40120-1113-0000-C2]
Notice of Availability of the Florida Panther Recovery Plan
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability
of the third revision of the Florida Panther Recovery Plan. The plan
includes specific recovery objectives and criteria to be met in order
to reclassify the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) to threatened
status and eventually delist this species under the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (Act).
ADDRESSES: You can obtain copies of the Florida Panther Recovery Plan
by contacting the Fish and Wildlife Service, South Florida Ecological
Services Office, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960 (telephone,
772-562-3909) or by visiting our Web sites at http://endangered.fws.gov
or http://verobeach.fws.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Belden, South Florida Ecological
Services Office, 772-562-3909, ext. 237.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Restoring listed animals and plants to the point where they are
again secure, self-sustaining components of their ecosystems is a
primary goal of our threatened and endangered species program. To help
guide the recovery effort, we are preparing recovery plans for most
listed species. Recovery plans describe actions that may be necessary
for conservation of species, establish criteria for reclassification
from endangered to threatened status or delisting, and estimate time
and cost for implementing recovery measures.
The Act (16 U.S.C. 1533 et seq.) requires the development of
recovery plans for listed species, unless such a plan would not promote
the conservation of a particular species. Section 4(f) of the Act
requires us to provide a public notice and an opportunity for public
review and comment during recovery plan development. We made the draft
third revision of the Florida Panther Recovery Plan available for
public comment from January 31, 2006, through April 3, 2006 (71 FR
5066). We considered information we received during the public comment
period and information from peer reviewers in our preparation of this
final revised recovery plan. We will forward substantive comments to
other Federal agencies so each agency can consider these comments in
implementing approved recovery plans.
The Florida panther is the last subspecies of Puma still surviving
in the eastern United States. Historically occurring throughout the
southeastern United States, the panther today is restricted to less
than 5 percent of its historic range in 1 breeding population of
approximately 100 animals, located in south Florida. Wide ranging, and
secretive, panthers occur at low densities. They require large
contiguous areas to meet their social, reproductive, and energetic
needs. Panther habitat selection is related to prey availability (i.e.,
habitats that make prey vulnerable to stalking and capturing are
selected).
Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation are among the greatest
threats to panther survival. Vehicle strikes and problems associated
with being a single, small, isolated population have continued to keep
the panther population at its current low numbers. Potential panther
habitat throughout the southeast continues to be affected by
urbanization, residential development, conversion to agriculture,
mining and mineral exploration, and lack of land-use planning that
recognizes panther needs. Public support is critical to attainment of
recovery goals for the Florida panther and any reintroduction efforts.
Potential opposition to panthers will be the most difficult aspect of
panther recovery and must be addressed before any reintroduction
efforts are initiated.
The goal of the Florida panther recovery plan is to achieve long-
term viability of the panther to a point where it can be reclassified
from endangered to threatened and then ultimately removed from the
Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Species. The recovery plan
identifies three objectives to meet this goal, including:
1. Maintain, restore, and expand the Florida panther population and
its habitat in south Florida and expand the breeding portion of the
population in south Florida to areas north of the Caloosahatchee River.
2. Identify, secure, maintain, and restore panther habitat in
potential reintroduction areas within the panther's historic range, and
establish viable populations of the panther outside south and south-
central Florida.
3. Facilitate panther recovery through public awareness and
education.
The plan presents criteria for reclassifying or delisting the
panther. These criteria are based on the number of individuals and
number of populations that provide for demographically and genetically
viable populations, as determined by several population viability
analyses, to ensure resilience to catastrophic events.
Reclassification of the Florida panther will be considered when:
1. Two viable populations of at least 240 individuals (adults and
subadults) each have been established and subsequently maintained for a
minimum of 12 years (or 2 panther generations).
2. Sufficient habitat quality, quantity, and spatial configuration
to support these populations is retained/protected or secured for the
long term.
Delisting of the Florida panther will be considered when:
1. Three viable, self-sustaining populations of at least 240
individuals (adults and subadults) each have been established and
subsequently maintained for a minimum of 12 years.
2. Sufficient habitat quality, quantity, and spatial configuration
to support these populations is retained/protected or secured for the
long term.
A viable population, for purposes of Florida panther recovery, has
been defined as one in which there is a 95 percent probability of
persistence for 100 years. This population may be distributed in a
metapopulation structure composed of subpopulations that total 240
individuals. There must be exchange of individuals and gene flow among
subpopulations. For reclassification, exchange of individuals and gene
flow can be either natural or through management. If managed, a
commitment to such management must be formally documented and funded.
For delisting, exchange of individuals and gene flow among
subpopulations must be natural (i.e., not manipulated or managed).
Habitat should be in relatively unfragmented blocks that provide for
food, shelter, and characteristic movements (e.g., hunting, breeding,
dispersal, and territorial behavior) and support each metapopulation at
a minimum density of 2 to 3 animals per 100 square miles.
Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
[[Page 77053]]
Dated: December 10, 2008.
Teresa H. McKitrick.
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. E8-29890 Filed 12-17-08; 8:45 am]
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