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Through the Listing Program, the Service determines whether to add a species to the Federal lists of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. Once listed, a species is afforded the full range of protections available under the Endangered Sspecies Act, including prohibitions on killing, harming or otherwise "taking" a species. In some instances, species listing can be avoided by the development of Candidate Conservation Agreements which may remove threats facing the candidate species.For species within the geographic area of responsibility of the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, staff research and develop proposals to list species as endangered or threatened. The impetus to list a particular species may come from private individuals, organizations, or other Federal and state agencies.
The Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office has all or parts of 11 counties in its area of responsibility including: the coastal counties from Santa Cruz County south to western Los Angeles County; the desert portions of Los Angeles, Kern, and San Bernardino counties; Inyo County; and Mono County south of Conway Summit. Our office is responsible for managing the protection of over 100 various species.
When species are listed as threatened or endangered, the habitats or ecosystems upon which they depend are described. The Service must, in most cases, officially designate specific areas as critical habitat for a species when listing it under the Endangered Species Act.
Federal agencies must insure that any action they authorize, fund, or carry out is not likely to result in habitat destruction or adverse modification of the designated areas.
The Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office can designate any habitat of listed species which is considered "critical" to the species survival and recovery. This geographic area contains those physical or biological features considered essential for the conservation of the species that may require special management or protections. |