February 19, 2008
USFWS Will Not Do a Jaguar Recovery Plan for the USA
From Terry B. Johnson, JAGCT Chair
[Due to a server problem, this notice was not be sent until January 23, 2008]
On January 17, 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) issued a News Release on its decision that a U.S. recovery plan for the jaguar would not advance conservation of the species. For details, please see the USFWS news release included below, although due to the mysteries of word processing the appearance below differs slightly from the "original."
After reading the USFWS decision, Arizona Game and Fish Department Director Duane Shroufe remarked, "I applaud Director Dale Hall and his staff on this decision. It appropriately emphasizes the importance of focusing recovery planning for peripheral species in those areas where they can best be recovered. It also underscores the limited, but important, extent to which Arizona and New Mexico can continue contributing to jaguar conservation in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. We look forward to continuing our work with the Service and our other partners, governmental and nongovernmental, in the United States and elsewhere on both counts."
As Director Shroufe implied, the USFWS decision will not hinder the state-led AZ-NM Jaguar Conservation Team (JAGCT), which will continue to focus on jaguar conservation in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Although the JAGCT primarily addresses Arizona and New Mexico, its activities also include cooperation at several levels with Mexico on conservation planning for the northern-most jaguar population, which is centered roughly 140 miles south of the U.S. border
with Mexico. JAGCT counterparts in Mexico are on the verge of completing a conservation strategy for the northern jaguar population that will complement the JAGCT's conservation framework, which was initially developed in 1997 and was extensively revised in 2007.
The jaguars documented in Arizona and New Mexico since rancher Warner Glenn and houndsman Jack Childs rediscovered the species' presence in 1996 and confirmed it with cameras rather than specimens, are almost certainly part of the northern Mexico population. Four different animals, all males, have been confirmed in the two states since 1996. Thanks to the JAGCT's Borderlands Detection Project, ably guided by Jack Childs and Emil McCain, with assistance from a host of volunteers and meager funding (when funded at all) from cooperating agencies and other organizations, one of the four jaguars has been photo-documented in Arizona over a period of more than 12 years, with seasonally continuous presence several times.
The JAGCT's next meeting is on March 13, 2008, in Lordsburg, New Mexico. JAGCT meetings are open to the public, and details of the March meeting will be included in a mid-February Endangered Species Update (also see Additional Information, below).
The jaguar recovery planning story is not quite over, however. A citizen lawsuit is still pending to force USFWS to develop a recovery plan for the United States. It remains to be seen how the court will act on the litigation, given the recent federal determination. Regardless of the final outcome in court, though the USFWS has certainly not abandoned jaguar conservation in the United States or elsewhere, nor is the recovery plan decision "a jaguar death sentence," as some have already claimed. The USFWS has simply made a formal decision that available conservation resources, which are always in short supply, can be spent in better ways than developing a recovery plan for an area at the very edge of the species' range that has long been occupied by jaguars but not, according to the best available scientific evidence, by a self-sustaining resident population. Thus, the JAGCT will continue to be a crucial part of the ongoing borderlands conservation effort for one of the United State's most magnificent animals, the jaguar, which is the largest native cat and only native roaring cat in the Western Hemisphere.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
News Release
Public Affairs Office
PO Box 1306
Albuquerque, NM 87103
For Release: January 17, 2008
Contacts: Elizabeth Slown, 505-248-6909 or 363-9592 or Jeff Humphrey, 602-242-0210
PREPARING FEDERAL RECOVERY PLAN FOR JAGUARS IS NOT PRODUCTIVE CONSERVATION
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has formalized its determination that a U.S. recovery plan for the endangered jaguar would not advance the conservation of the big cat. The vast majority of jaguars and jaguar habitat lay south of the United States.
Jaguars occur from southern South America to the U.S.-Mexico border area. The United States contains one percent of jaguar habitat. Four male jaguars, thought to originate from a core population 130 miles south of the border, are known to have crossed into New Mexico and Arizona since 1996.
Recovery plans are typically prepared for each plant and animal listed under the Endangered Species Act. They are voluntary, nonbinding documents that identify the threats to a species, lay out recommended actions that reduce or eliminate threats, estimate conservation costs and set goals by which recovery can be measured. Too few jaguars and too little habitat in the United States signify that a recovery plan would have little influence on protecting the jaguar population.
The Service and National Marine Fisheries Service - the two principal federal fish and wildlife management agencies - recognize that there are instances when recovery plans for listed species might not be sensible. Exemptions include species whose ranges extend entirely under the jurisdiction of other countries and when species would not benefit from a recovery plan.
While the Service has determined that a formal U.S. recovery plan does not benefit the jaguar, the agency continues to be committed to its on-the-ground efforts.
The Service protects jaguars within its borders, and works cooperatively with other Latin America countries to conduct research, protect habitat and reduce the killing of jaguars.
The Service has funded jaguar work in Belize, Argentina and Brazil. The Service will continue to fund research in northern Mexico to improve knowledge of jaguar conservation. It supports the Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project to monitor occurrences in Arizona. The Jaguar Conservation Team, an Arizona-led effort, has summarized the current knowledge of U.S.-Mexico borderland jaguars and identified actions to facilitate the presence of jaguars in the U.S. and help them persist here and in Mexico. Various levels of protection and conservation plans for the jaguar are in place in many of the 20 countries through the cat's core range.
The jaguar south of the border was included in the initial list of animals protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1972, but protection was not afforded in the U.S. The oversight was corrected in 1997 when protection was extended to jaguars in the states. The Endangered Species Act protects international species by making it unlawful to posses, sell or import an endangered species (or its parts - such as its pelt) into the United States from another country, without a permit.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.
Note: The jaguar recovery plan determination is available at http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/ or from the contacts listed above.
Additional Information
Information about JAGCT public meetings and other issues pertaining to jaguar conservation is disseminated electronically through a self-subscription newsletter, Endangered Species Updates. The newsletter self-subscription form is available at http://azgfd.gov/signup.
Information pertaining to jaguar conservation is also available at the Arizona Game and Fish Department website (http://azgfd.gov/w_c/es/jaguar_management.shtml).
The JAGCT email address is jaguar@azgfd.gov. Messages received will be read, but individual replies will not be sent.