U.S. Modifies Species Protection Process

Why it matters locally: The new federal policy requiring individualized protection plans for threatened species could impact how species native to North Dakota, such as the Piping Plover or the Dakota Skipper, are managed and conserved within the state's diverse ecosystems and agricultural landscapes.

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WASHINGTON – The U.S. government has revised its approach to safeguarding imperiled species, replacing automatic federal protections with a requirement for individualized plans. Under the previous framework, species designated as threatened automatically received the same protections as those listed as endangered. Moving forward, the addition of a species to the threatened list will necessitate the development of a specific protection strategy for that particular species. This change means that federal agencies will no longer apply a uniform set of safeguards to all threatened species upon their listing.