U.S. Modifies Species Protection Process

Why it matters locally: Oregon, a state with significant biodiversity and several species listed under the Endangered Species Act, may see changes in how federal protections are applied to its threatened flora and fauna under this revised process.

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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.