Candidate species (Candidates) are defined as taxa for which the Service has on file sufficient information on biological vulnerability and threats to support a proposal to list the taxa as endangered or threatened.

Candidates are derived in two ways:

Non-petitioned Candidates

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 These taxa are typically identified by Ecological Services Field Offices through information they obtain from status surveys, State Natural Heritage Programs, other State and Federal agencies, knowledgeable scientists and researchers, public and private natural resources interests, and other sources. A candidate form is then prepared by the Field Office that has the lead responsibility for tracking the taxon's status. Candidate forms identify the pertinent life history and threat information that forms the basis of the Field Office's recommendation to elevate the taxon to formal candidate status and must be approved by the appropriate Regional Director(s) and the Service's Director before the taxon can assume candidate status.

A taxon's Listing Priority Number, which is shown on each completed candidate form, is a number from 1 to 12 which indicates the relative urgency for listing plants or animals as threatened or endangered. The criteria used to assign this number reflect the magnitude and immediacy of threat to the taxa, as well as the relative distinctiveness or isolation of the genetic material they possess. The listing priority number also indicates the general order in which a taxon will be proposed for listing. Within each Region, the pace at which new listing proposals are completed depends upon the funding appropriated by Congress and regional listing priorities.


Petitioned Candidates

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In the case of petitioned taxa that are "warranted but precluded", the lead Field Office prepares a candidate form after the "warranted but precluded" listing determination is made and published in the Federal Register.



National Candidate List

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The national list of candidates is published annually in the Federal Register as the Candidate Notice of Review (CNOR). The CNOR helps provide the public with advance knowledge of potential listings that could affect proposed development projects, solicits input from interested parties on the appropriateness of candidate status for individual taxa, and prioritizes the order in which we will propose taxa for listing. The most recent CNOR was published on October 30, 2001, and is available below.

• October 30, 2001 Candidate Notice of Review
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"Warranted but precluded" determinations for petitioned candidates were also published in the October 30, 2001, CNOR and in a separate Federal Register notice on "warranted but precluded" candidate taxa that was published on January 8, 2001. The January 8, 2001 notice is available below.

• January 8, 2001 Notice of Warranted but Precluded Candidate Species
  Text PDF

Regional Candidate Lists

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The Southeast Region maintains a regional candidate list that is updated periodically.

View Current List of Candidates in Region 4 (PDF format)
View Candidates by State
View Candidates by Taxonomic Group
View Current Candidate Forms for Region 4
By State
By Common Name

Removal of Candidate Species

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Candidates are maintained on the national and regional candidate lists until they are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act or are justifiably removed from the lists based on new information on status or degree of threats.

Species of Concern

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The Southeast Region maintains a list of Species of Concern, which is also derived from data obtained on these taxa from status surveys, the opinions of species experts, and other sources. "Species of concern" is an informal term that refers to those species which we believe might be declining or be in need of concentrated conservation actions to prevent decline. Species of concern receive no legal protection under the Endangered Species Act, and the use of the term does not necessarily mean that the species will eventually become a candidate or will be proposed for listing as a threatened or endangered species.

For further information on candidate species in the southeast region, please contact the Regional Candidate Conservation Coordinator at 404/679-7124 or Richard_Gooch@fws.gov or contact the Field Office that has the lead for a particular species as identified on the regional Candidate List and Species of Concern List.