Recommendations for Improving Recovery Criteria under the US Endangered Species Act

Recoverycriteria, the thresholds mandated by the Endangered SpeciesAct that define when species may be considered for downlisting or removal from the endangered specieslist, are a key component of conservation planningin the United States. We recommend improvements in the definition and scientific justification of recoverycriteria, addressing both data-rich and data-poor situations. We emphasize the distinction between recoveryactions and recoverycriteria and recommend the use of quantitative population analyses to measure the impacts of threats and to explicitly tie recoverycriteria to population status. To this end, we provide a brief tutorial on the legal and practical requirements and constraints of recoverycriteria development. We conclude by contrasting our recommendations with other alternatives and by describing ways in which academic scientists can contribute productively to the planning process and to endangered species recovery.