Overcoming Roadblocks to Recovery of Declining Amphibian Populations in the United States

Abstract/Summary

The U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) affords many potential benefits to species threatened with extinction. Yet, most at-risk amphibians – one of the most imperiled vertebrate groups – remain unlisted under provisions of the ESA, and many impediments to recovery exist for those species that have been listed. Of the 35 U.S. amphibian species and distinct population segments (DPS) listed under the ESA, 28.6% currently lack a final (completed) recovery plan, 40% lack designated critical habitat, and 8.5% lack both. For species/DPS that have recovery plans, time between listing and development of those plans was from 2 to 29 years, and the time between listing and designation of critical habitat ranged from 0 to 14 years. The underlying causes of such delays in protection are complex and constitute roadblocks to recovery of imperiled species. We outline a series of strategic actions by which these roadblocks may be overcome.

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