[APWG] Seeking Feedback: USFWS Draft Technical Guidance on Selecting Species for Selecting Surrogate Species - Deadline January 31, 2013

[De Angelis, Patricia]

The Service is looking for feedback on their Draft Technical
Guidance<http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/pdf/DraftTechnicalGuidanceJuly2012.pdf>on
Selecting Species for Design of Landscape-scale Conservation.

Comments will be accepted until January 31.

See info below for details.

-- 
Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
Botanist, Division of Scientific Authority-US Fish & Wildlife
Service-International Affairs
Chair, Medicinal Plant Working Group-Plant Conservation Alliance
4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 110
Arlington, VA  22203
703-358-1708 x1753
FAX: 703-358-2276

Promoting sustainable use and conservation of our native medicinal plants.
<www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal>

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Draft Guidance for Selecting Species

*What are surrogate species?*

Surrogate species are used to represent other species or aspects of the
environment. They are used for comprehensive conservation planning that
supports multiple species and habitats within a defined landscape or
geographic area

To enable effective and efficient fish and wildlife conservation, the
Service has developed draft technical
guidance<http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/pdf/DraftTechnicalGuidanceJuly2012.pdf>to
help employees and partners establish biological outcomes at defined
landscape scales. This guidance describes a standard process and criteria
for defining biological outcomes using a surrogate species
approach<http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/selecting-species.html>,
reducing the burden of addressing the requirements of many species
individually. The application of this guidance represents an opportunity
for the Service to participate with partners in advancing understanding of
surrogate species science and refining application of the Strategic Habitat
Conservation <http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/shc.html> (SHC)
framework to our conservation activities.

The guidance describes ten steps for identifying and selecting surrogate
species and discusses the advantages, conservation applications, and
limitations of this conservation planning technique. The guidance also
provides direction for setting biological objectives and discusses the
importance of establishing new and refining existing collaborations within
the conservation community to help us collectively meet the conservation
needs of the nation’s fish, wildlife and plants. Used consistently, this
guidance will improve the conservation practitioner’s efficiencies and
impacts through the application of SHC, assist in defining biological
objectives, help target where on the landscape to target efforts, and
result in more cost-effective management decisions and investments in
conservation.

In the coming months the Service will be engaging employees, States, Tribes
and our conservation partners in refining and improving the technical
guidance.

To read the draft technical guidance and submit comments on the draft
technical guidance please visit:
http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/draft-guidance.html
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