Director's Memo: Supplemental Explanation for the Legal Basis of the Department's May 15, 2008 Determination of Threatened Status for Polar Bears

Director's Memo: Supplemental Explanation for the Legal Basis of the Department's May 15, 2008 Determination of Threatened Status for Polar Bears
polar-bear-listing-clarification-memo-2010-12-22.pdf7.6 MB

This document provides a supplemental explanation of the meaning of the statutory phrase "in danger of extinction" under the Endangered Species Act, as applied in the Polar Bear Listing Rule.

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Program
A duck flies over a tundra pond.
We use the best scientific information available to determine whether to add a species to (list) or remove from (delist) the federal lists of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. We also determine whether already listed species should be reclassified from threatened to endangered (uplist...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Close up of a California condor. Its pink featherless head contrasts with its black feathers.
We provide national leadership in the recovery and conservation of our nation's imperiled plant and animal species, working with experts in the scientific community to identify species on the verge of extinction and to build the road to recovery to bring them back. We work with a range of public...
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Baileys Crossroads,VA
Species
Two large white bears along the coast.

The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the largest of the extant bear species and is classified as a marine mammal. Polar bears are protected under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits the take, which is defined as...

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Species
Kingdom
Animalia
Taxonomic Rank
Species
Subject tags
Endangered and/or Threatened species