Animals 2013, 3(3), 745-753; doi:10.3390/ani3030745
Uncertainty in Population Estimates for Endangered Animals and Improving the Recovery Process
1
Applied Conservation Lab, Department of Biology, Millersville University, Millersville, PA 17551, USA
2
Ecology and Conservation Biology Program, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
3
Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Room 103, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
4
College of Law, University of Idaho, Law 201, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 1 July 2013 / Revised: 5 August 2013 / Accepted: 7 August 2013 / Published: 13 August 2013
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conservation of Endangered Animals and Protection of Their Habitats)
Abstract
United States recovery plans contain biological information for a species listed under the Endangered Species Act and specify recovery criteria to provide basis for species recovery. The objective of our study was to evaluate whether recovery plans provide uncertainty (e.g., variance) with estimates of population size. We reviewed all finalized recovery plans for listed terrestrial vertebrate species to record the following data: (1) if a current population size was given, (2) if a measure of uncertainty or variance was associated with current estimates of population size and (3) if population size was stipulated for recovery. We found that 59% of completed recovery plans specified a current population size, 14.5% specified a variance for the current population size estimate and 43% specified population size as a recovery criterion. More recent recovery plans reported more estimates of current population size, uncertainty and population size as a recovery criterion. Also, bird and mammal recovery plans reported more estimates of population size and uncertainty compared to reptiles and amphibians. We suggest the use of calculating minimum detectable differences to improve confidence when delisting endangered animals and we identified incentives for individuals to get involved in recovery planning to improve access to quantitative data. View Full-Text
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Haines, A.M.; Zak, M.; Hammond, K.; Scott, J.M.; Goble, D.D.; Rachlow, J.L. Uncertainty in Population Estimates for Endangered Animals and Improving the Recovery Process. Animals 2013, 3, 745-753.