Endangered and Threatened Species Glossary of Terms.pdf

Endangered and Threatened Species Glossary of Terms

One of the elements in the Importance section of Core Criteria used to evaluate Forest Legacy

Program proposals is the presence of documented threatened or endangered plants and animals or designated habitats and wildlife corridors on the tracts being submitted for consideration

(Threatened and Endangered Species Habitat). Forest Legacy Program applicants often use a mixture of federal and state laws and plans, as well as international and non-profit resources, to highlight threatened and endangered species that are found within the project area. The purpose of this document is to provide a guide for panel reviewers to understand the different categories and terms that applicants might use in this section of the proposal, and what the full scale looks like under each category so the National Review Panel can evaluate the proposals more consistently.

Federal Level (Endangered Species Act)

United States Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service

(Vertebrates/Invertebrates Animals, Flowering/Non-flowering plants)

• Endangered

• Threatened

• Proposed

• High Candidate

• Low Candidate

Forest Service

• Sensitive

• Species of Conservation Concern

State Level

Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAP)

• Endangered

• Threatened

• Species of Concern

International Level

International Union for Conservation of Nature

• Extinct in the Wild

• Critically Endangered

• Endangered

• Vulnerable

• Near Threatened

• Least concern

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

(CITES)

• Appendix I – species threatened with extinction and prohibition on international trade

• Appendix II – species may become threatened and trade is closely controlled

• Appendix III – species included at request of State parties that regulate trade in the species

Non-governmental Organizations

NatureServe

• G1 – Critically Imperiled: At very high risk of extinction due to extreme rarity (often 5 or fewer populations), very steep declines, or other factors.

• G2 – Imperiled: At high risk of extinction due to very restricted range, very few populations (often 20 or fewer), steep declines, or other factors.

• G3 – Vulnerable: At moderate risk of extinction due to a restricted range, relatively few populations (often 80 or fewer), recent and widespread declines, or other factors.

Audubon

Important Bird Areas (IBA) Priority Levels

• Global – Highest priority and globally important

• Continental – High priority

• State – Priority for the state

The Nature Conservancy

Resilient Lands – places that are most climate resilient and will retain high quality habitat

• Far above average

• Above average

• Slightly above average

• Average

• Far below average

• Slightly below average

• Below average

Connected Landscapes – climate corridors and movement zones to facilitate species range shifts

• Climate corridor – high amounts of flow become concentrated in relatively small channels or pinch points

• Climate flow zone – intact natural areas where high amounts of flow can spread-out and expand in many directions