Recovery Plan for the Ocelot (Leopardus Pardalis) First Revision
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Recovery Plan for the Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) First Revision July 2016 DISCLAIMER The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), requires the development of recovery plans for listed species, unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a particular species. In accordance with section 4(f)(1) of the Act and to the maximum extent practicable, recovery plans delineate actions which the best available science indicates are required to recover and protect listed species. Plans are published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and may be prepared with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, state agencies, and others. Recovery objectives will be implemented and any necessary funds made available, subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved in ocelot conservation, and objectives may be adjusted as new and pertinent information is made available. Nothing in this plan should be construed as a commitment or requirement that any Federal agency obligate or pay funds in contravention of the Anti- deficiency Act, 31 U.S.C. 1341, or any other law or regulation. Recovery plans do not necessarily represent the views or the official positions or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, other than the USFWS. They represent the official position of USFWS only after they have been signed by the Regional Director. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new information, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery actions. Please check for updates or revisions at the website on the next page before using the plan. Throughout the plan, the use of the term “we” refers to the Ocelot Recovery Team, and not necessarily just the USFWS. The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is listed throughout its range including 22 countries. The United States (U.S.) contains only a small portion of the ocelot’s range and habitat. Recovery of endangered species is the fundamental goal of the ESA. Recovery planning is addressed in section 4(f)(1) of the ESA. However, the USFWS has limited resources and little authority to address the major threats to the ocelot’s recovery outside U.S. borders. Also, knowledge regarding the status of the species in much of its range is very limited, and USFWS lacks the resources and authority to coordinate large-scale international research and recovery for the entire species. Therefore, it is not practicable to establish site-specific management actions, objective and measurable recovery criteria, or cost estimates throughout the species’ entire range. However, USFWS has an established relationship with Mexico to address a number of issues of mutual concern, including managing cross-border populations of rare and endangered species. Because the USFWS’s limited resources are better applied to planning and on-the-ground implementation of conservation actions within the boundaries of the U.S. and in partnership with adjacent Mexico, we focused this plan on two management units that cover the subspecies L. p. sonoriensis and L. p. albescens. iii Literature citation of this document should read as follows: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2016. Recovery Plan for the Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), First Revision. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Region, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Copies may be obtained online (species search: ocelot): http://www.fws.gov/endangered or by contacting: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge 22817 Ocelot Rd. Los Fresnos, Texas 78566 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Regional Office P.O. Box 1306 Albuquerque, NM 87103 Cover Photograph Credit: Ocelot on Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge/USFWS iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) gratefully acknowledge the commitment, dedication, and efforts of the Bi-national Ocelot Recovery Team in the development of this recovery plan. Special thanks to the recovery team leaders David Maehr, Arturo Caso, and Mitch Sternberg for their leadership. Wendy Brown served as USFWS’s liaison to the Recovery Team from its formation in 2002 until 2008. Tim Anderson, Partners Program within USFWS, has been the liaison since 2009. We also appreciate the assistance of the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group’s Phil Miller. Steve Chambers, now retired from the USFWS, provided valuable insights into the genetics and demographics of small populations during earlier meetings. The suggestions to this plan by USFWS’s Erin Fernandez and Jean Calhoun significantly improved parts of this plan. David Maehr, Wendy Brown, Brady McGee, Jody Mays, Jennifer Smith-Castro, Mitch Sternberg, and Hilary Swarts served as major contributors and editors to the plan. The Technical Subgroup of the Ocelot Recovery Team Mitch Sternberg U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Recovery Team Leader Jesús Lizardo Cruz Ken Kaemmerer Comision Nacional de Areas Naturales Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Protegidas Paul Beier Carlos López González Northern Arizona University Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro Melanie Culver Bill Van Pelt University of Arizona Arizona Game and Fish Department U.S. Geological Survey Jonah Evans Michael Tewes Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Texas A&M University - Kingsville The USFWS would also like to thank the Implementation Subgroup of the Bi-national Ocelot Recovery Team for their participation and valuable insights provided during the development of this plan, and for all the work they do to conserve and recover ocelots. We look forward to future collaboration with the following individuals and others without whom ocelot recovery will not succeed and would not have made the progress we see today: Maria Araujo, Tyler Campbell, Dave DeLaney, Rene Celis Gurria, Thomas deMaar, Randy DeYoung, Daniel Kunz, and John Young. Also we offer our sincere thanks to those that previously served as members of the Recovery Team or assisted the Recovery Team: Alfonso Banda-Valdez, Don Blanton, Doug Booher, Marylou Campbell, Jorge Cardenas, Arturo Caso, Karen Chapman, Matt Clark, Hollie Colahan, v Michael Corbett, Eric Gardner, Paul Genho, Melissa Grigione, Karen Hunke, Aaron Haines, Mark Iglesias, Jan Janecka, Scotty Johnson,Terry Johnson, Linda Laack, Jody Mays, Stacy McReynolds, Brent Ortego, Oscar Ramirez-Flores, Mike Rabe, Eva Sargent, Bill Van Pelt, Sylvia Waggoner, Lisa Williams, and Roberto Wolf. Michael Corbett was a private landowner from south Texas and he was an important part of the Implementation Subgroup, a champion for ocelot and wildlife conservation, as well as ranching in south Texas. We were deeply saddened by his passing in 2008. Dedication DAVID Steffen MAEHR, Ph.D., SEPTEMBER 18, 1955 – JUNE 20, 2008 The USFWS and the Ocelot Recovery Team are honored to dedicate this plan to the memory of Dave Maehr, with the hope that the objectives within it may be achieved for the benefit of the ocelot and the ecosystem in which it plays a role. Dave Maehr was named Co-leader of the bi-national Ocelot Recovery Team by the USFWS’s Southwest Regional Director, and served in that role from the first team meeting in May 2003 until June 2008 when he tragically died in a single-engine plane accident. As the leader in the United States, Dave had the primary responsibility for guiding the Team to meet the USFWS’s standards, policies, and priorities. Dave was Professor of Conservation Biology in the Department of Forestry at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, and was known internationally as a world expert on large carnivores, most notably black bear and Florida panther, and for the reintroduction of the elk population in eastern Kentucky. He was an accomplished scientist, author and editor, and has been described as the “quintessential field biologist; outdoorsman, highly observant, an incredible naturalist, wonderful at handling animals, and talented artist and photographer.” Although he did not have previous experience with ocelots, Dave accepted the challenge of leading the Ocelot Recovery Team with humility, enthusiasm, and commitment. He worked closely with the USFWS to assure that scientific and policy standards were met, and with his co- leader from Mexico, Arturo Caso, to integrate the objectives of both countries. Dave also brought his considerable facilitation and editorial skills to bear in knitting the contributions of the entire team into a cohesive and focused recovery plan. Along with a ferocious intellect, Dave brought a gracious and light-hearted presence to his role as team co-leader. Finally, he never lost sight of the importance of considering human communities in conserving endangered species. vi Table of Contents DISCLAIMER ............................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................. v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... ix 1.0 BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Status of the Species ...............................................................................................................