U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Critical Habitat for

Alabama Sturgeon

What is critical habitat?

Critical habitat is a term used in the

Endangered Species Act to refer to

specific geographic areas that are

essential for the conservation of a

threatened or endangered species and

that may require special management

considerations.

What is the purpose of designating critical

habitat?

The purpose of designating critical

habitat is to require Federal agencies to

consider the effects of actions they carry

out, fund, or authorize on habitat that is

essential to the conservation of a listed

species. For more information, see Q&A

No. 15.*

What is the impact of designating critical

habitat on private lands and private

landowners?

The designation of critical habitat on

private land will have no impact on

private landowner activities that do not

require Federal funding or permits. The

designation of critical habitat is only

applicable to Federal activities.

How does the Service determine what

areas to designate?

The Service considers physical or

biological habitat features which are

essential to the conservation of the

species, including:

■ space for individual and population

growth and for normal behavior;

■ cover or shelter;

■ food, water, air, light, minerals, or

other nutritional or physiological

requirements;

■ sites for breeding and rearing offspring;

■ habitats that are protected from

disturbance or are representative of

the historic geographical and

ecological distributions of a species.

* See the more extensive Questions and

Answers on the decision to list the

Alabama sturgeon that appear in a

separate document.

Do listed species in critical habitat areas

receive more protection?

Listed species are protected by the

Endangered Species Act whether or not

they are in an area designated as critical

habitat. Designation of an area as critical

habitat provides a means by which the

habitat of an endangered or threatened

species can be protected from adverse

changes or destruction resulting from

Federal activities or projects. In most

cases, protection of a species from critical

habitat designation duplicates the

protection provided by section 7 of the

Endangered Species Act. For more

information, see Q&A No. 16.

Must Federal agencies consult with the

Service outside critical habitat areas?

Yes, even when there is no critical habitat

designation, Federal agencies must

consult with the Service to ensure any

action they carry out, fund, or authorize is

not likely to jeopardize the continued

existence of a listed species.

Does the Act require an economic

analysis as part of designating critical

habitat?

Yes. The Service must take into account

the economic impact, beyond that accrued

by listing, of specifying any particular

area as critical habitat. The Service may

exclude any area from critical habitat if it

determines that the benefits of the

exclusion outweigh the benefits of

specifying the area as part of critical

habitat, unless it determines based on the

best scientific and commercial data

available, that the failure to designate the

area as critical habitat will result in the

extinction of the species.

Does this economic analysis have any

effect on the decision to list a species?

No, under the Act, a decision to list a

species is made solely on the basis of

scientific data.

For how many species has the Service

designated critical habitat?

To date, the Service has designated

critical habitat for 118 of the 1,206 species

listed as threatened or endangered.

What is the impact of a critical habitat

designation on economic development?

The vast majority of human activities that

require a consultation with the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service proceed with little or

no modification.

Is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service going

to designate critical habitat for the

Alabama sturgeon?

We proposed not to designate critical

habitat because the designation would

provide no additional benefit for the

species, and we were concerned that an

adverse public reaction to critical habitat

designation might actually impede future

conservation efforts. However, during the

public comment period, we received

numerous comments from both

proponents and opponents of the species

listing that favored designation of critical

habitat. Based on those comments, we

have determined that it is unlikely that

any adverse effect on the Alabama

sturgeon would occur as a result of

critical habitat designation, and that such

designation is prudent. We plan to publish

a proposal outlining critical habitat next

year. For more information, see Q&A

No. 13.

How will designation of critical habitat

help the Alabama sturgeon?

Critical habitat designation may benefit

the Alabama sturgeon by enhancing

awareness within Federal agencies of the

sturgeon’s range.

For more information, please contact:

J. Mitch King

Geographic Assistant Regional Director

Area 2

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

1875 Century Boulevard

Atlanta, GA 30345

404/679 7180

Information on the sturgeon is also

available at: http:/www.fws.gov.

May 2, 2000