[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 244 (Thursday, December 18, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77052-77053]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-29890]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2008-NO247; 40120-1113-0000-C2]


Notice of Availability of the Florida Panther Recovery Plan

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability 
of the third revision of the Florida Panther Recovery Plan. The plan 
includes specific recovery objectives and criteria to be met in order 
to reclassify the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) to threatened 
status and eventually delist this species under the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973, as amended (Act).

ADDRESSES: You can obtain copies of the Florida Panther Recovery Plan 
by contacting the Fish and Wildlife Service, South Florida Ecological 
Services Office, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960 (telephone, 
772-562-3909) or by visiting our Web sites at http://endangered.fws.gov 
or http://verobeach.fws.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Belden, South Florida Ecological 
Services Office, 772-562-3909, ext. 237.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Restoring listed animals and plants to the point where they are 
again secure, self-sustaining components of their ecosystems is a 
primary goal of our threatened and endangered species program. To help 
guide the recovery effort, we are preparing recovery plans for most 
listed species. Recovery plans describe actions that may be necessary 
for conservation of species, establish criteria for reclassification 
from endangered to threatened status or delisting, and estimate time 
and cost for implementing recovery measures.
    The Act (16 U.S.C. 1533 et seq.) requires the development of 
recovery plans for listed species, unless such a plan would not promote 
the conservation of a particular species. Section 4(f) of the Act 
requires us to provide a public notice and an opportunity for public 
review and comment during recovery plan development. We made the draft 
third revision of the Florida Panther Recovery Plan available for 
public comment from January 31, 2006, through April 3, 2006 (71 FR 
5066). We considered information we received during the public comment 
period and information from peer reviewers in our preparation of this 
final revised recovery plan. We will forward substantive comments to 
other Federal agencies so each agency can consider these comments in 
implementing approved recovery plans.
    The Florida panther is the last subspecies of Puma still surviving 
in the eastern United States. Historically occurring throughout the 
southeastern United States, the panther today is restricted to less 
than 5 percent of its historic range in 1 breeding population of 
approximately 100 animals, located in south Florida. Wide ranging, and 
secretive, panthers occur at low densities. They require large 
contiguous areas to meet their social, reproductive, and energetic 
needs. Panther habitat selection is related to prey availability (i.e., 
habitats that make prey vulnerable to stalking and capturing are 
selected).
    Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation are among the greatest 
threats to panther survival. Vehicle strikes and problems associated 
with being a single, small, isolated population have continued to keep 
the panther population at its current low numbers. Potential panther 
habitat throughout the southeast continues to be affected by 
urbanization, residential development, conversion to agriculture, 
mining and mineral exploration, and lack of land-use planning that 
recognizes panther needs. Public support is critical to attainment of 
recovery goals for the Florida panther and any reintroduction efforts. 
Potential opposition to panthers will be the most difficult aspect of 
panther recovery and must be addressed before any reintroduction 
efforts are initiated.
    The goal of the Florida panther recovery plan is to achieve long-
term viability of the panther to a point where it can be reclassified 
from endangered to threatened and then ultimately removed from the 
Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Species. The recovery plan 
identifies three objectives to meet this goal, including:
    1. Maintain, restore, and expand the Florida panther population and 
its habitat in south Florida and expand the breeding portion of the 
population in south Florida to areas north of the Caloosahatchee River.
    2. Identify, secure, maintain, and restore panther habitat in 
potential reintroduction areas within the panther's historic range, and 
establish viable populations of the panther outside south and south-
central Florida.
    3. Facilitate panther recovery through public awareness and 
education.
    The plan presents criteria for reclassifying or delisting the 
panther. These criteria are based on the number of individuals and 
number of populations that provide for demographically and genetically 
viable populations, as determined by several population viability 
analyses, to ensure resilience to catastrophic events.
    Reclassification of the Florida panther will be considered when:
    1. Two viable populations of at least 240 individuals (adults and 
subadults) each have been established and subsequently maintained for a 
minimum of 12 years (or 2 panther generations).
    2. Sufficient habitat quality, quantity, and spatial configuration 
to support these populations is retained/protected or secured for the 
long term.
    Delisting of the Florida panther will be considered when:
    1. Three viable, self-sustaining populations of at least 240 
individuals (adults and subadults) each have been established and 
subsequently maintained for a minimum of 12 years.
    2. Sufficient habitat quality, quantity, and spatial configuration 
to support these populations is retained/protected or secured for the 
long term.
    A viable population, for purposes of Florida panther recovery, has 
been defined as one in which there is a 95 percent probability of 
persistence for 100 years. This population may be distributed in a 
metapopulation structure composed of subpopulations that total 240 
individuals. There must be exchange of individuals and gene flow among 
subpopulations. For reclassification, exchange of individuals and gene 
flow can be either natural or through management. If managed, a 
commitment to such management must be formally documented and funded. 
For delisting, exchange of individuals and gene flow among 
subpopulations must be natural (i.e., not manipulated or managed). 
Habitat should be in relatively unfragmented blocks that provide for 
food, shelter, and characteristic movements (e.g., hunting, breeding, 
dispersal, and territorial behavior) and support each metapopulation at 
a minimum density of 2 to 3 animals per 100 square miles.

    Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the 
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).


[[Page 77053]]


    Dated: December 10, 2008.
Teresa H. McKitrick.
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
 [FR Doc. E8-29890 Filed 12-17-08; 8:45 am]
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