Saving species at risk through regional partnerships

Background/Question/Methods

Not every environmental protection measure takes place out in the field. Threatened and at-risk species often benefit from a different type of support.  This was the case with the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) a few years ago. Sponsored by the Army Engineer Research and Development Center as a part of the Army’s Threatened and Endangered Species research program, a 2005 workshop of fall line sandhills biologists and land managers set a goal of working to improve management for the species. It has been estimated that tortoise populations have fallen as much as 90% in the last 100 years. The western population of the species was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1986, and the eastern population was considered at risk of listing in spite of the fact that hundreds of thousands of animals still live across the states from South Carolina to Alabama. The largest populations are in Florida, where public outcry over displacement of tortoises by urban developers heightened awareness of the problem, and has since led to much improved state regulations. How is it possible to improve management of a species across tens of thousands of locations in five states?

Results/Conclusions

The conclusion of the working group was that a partnership of some type was needed that reached across ownership and political boundaries, and had the potential to result in better attention to tortoises from all levels. We developed a multiparty, but non-binding Memorandum of Agreement which was signed by Federal and state agencies and NGOs in 2006. One part of this MOA was agreement that a more comprehensive and more binding document was needed. During 2007 and 2008, we worked to develop a Candidate Conservation Agreement which, by early 2009, was signed by the Federal and state agencies across the region. Also joining were a tribal government and private groups involved in forest restoration activities in the southeastern states. The CCA requires commitment to specific goals by each party as well as annual reporting of progress in management actions for the benefit of the tortoise. We completed he first annual CCA report in January 2010. It will serve as the starting point for continued recording of progress in improved tortoise management throughout the region. This information will also be utilized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as it considers a petition to list the tortoise under the Endangered Species Act.