Improving Recovery Planning for Threatened and Endangered Species

T he Endangered Species Act (ESA) is arguably the most important legislation passed by the United States Congress to protect species and their habitats (the use of the term "species" covers species, subspecies, and even distinct populations). The ESA has three major provisions (Rohlf 1989, Schwalbe 1993, Mueller 1994, NRC 1995, Easter-Pilcher 1996). First, it stipulates a process for determining whether or not a candidate species should be listed as threatened or endangered, based solely on scientific information and specifically excluding potential economic impact. Second, it provides listed species with legal protection to reduce the threat of extinction. The principal protections are limits to "take"-that is, to the destruction of a listed species or