BEFORE THE CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION A Petition to List the Southern California/Central Coast Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) of Mountain Lions as Threatened under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) A Mountain Lion in the Verdugo Mountains with Glendale and Los Angeles in the background. Photo: NPS Center for Biological Diversity and the Mountain Lion Foundation June 25, 2019 Notice of Petition For action pursuant to Section 670.1, Title 14, California Code of Regulations (CCR) and Division 3, Chapter 1.5, Article 2 of the California Fish and Game Code (Sections 2070 et seq.) relating to listing and delisting endangered and threatened species of plants and animals. I. SPECIES BEING PETITIONED: Species Name: Mountain Lion (Puma concolor). Southern California/Central Coast Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) II. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Listing as Threatened or Endangered The Center for Biological Diversity and the Mountain Lion Foundation submit this petition to list mountain lions (Puma concolor) in Southern and Central California as Threatened or Endangered pursuant to the California Endangered Species Act (California Fish and Game Code §§ 2050 et seq., “CESA”). This petition demonstrates that Southern and Central California mountain lions are eligible for and warrant listing under CESA based on the factors specified in the statute and implementing regulations. Specifically, petitioners request listing as Threatened an Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) comprised of the following recognized mountain lion subpopulations: 1. Santa Ana Mountains 2. Eastern Peninsular Range 3. San Gabriel/San Bernardino Mountains 4. Central Coast South (Santa Monica Mountains) 5. Central Coast North (Santa Cruz Mountains) 6. Central Coast Central Alternatively, as detailed in the petition, in the event the Commission determines that these six populations collectively either do not comprise a single Southern California/Central Coast ESU or otherwise do not meet the criteria for listing as Threatened, petitioners request the Commission consider whether any of these populations, singularly or in combination, comprise one or more ESUs and meet the criteria for listing as Threatened or Endangered pursuant to CESA. III. AUTHORS OF PETITION: Tiffany Yap, D.Env/PhD Brendan Cummings Center for Biological Diversity 1212 Broadway, Suite 800 Oakland, California 94612 (510) 847-5838 [email protected] [email protected] J.P. Rose Center for Biological Diversity 660 South Figueroa Street, Suite 1000 Los Angeles, California 90017 (213) 785-5406 [email protected] I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, all statements made in this petition are true and complete. Signature: __________________________ Date: ____6/25/19___________ Table of Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 7 2 Life History ............................................................................................................................. 7 2.1 Species Description .......................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Taxonomy and Population Genetics ................................................................................ 8 2.2.1 Effective Population Size and Extinction Risk ....................................................... 11 2.2.2 Central Coast North (CC-N) Mountain Lion Population ........................................ 13 2.2.3 Central Coast Central (CC-C) Mountain Lion Population ..................................... 13 2.2.4 Central Coast South (CC-S) Mountain Lion Population ........................................ 13 2.2.5 Santa Ana Mountains (SAM) Mountain Lion Population ...................................... 14 2.2.6 San Gabriel/San Bernardino Mountains (SGSB) Mountain Lion Population ........ 15 2.2.7 Eastern Peninsular Range (EPR) Mountain Lion Population ................................. 15 2.3 Reproduction and Growth .............................................................................................. 16 2.4 Diet and Foraging Ecology ............................................................................................ 17 2.5 Habitat Requirements ..................................................................................................... 19 2.6 Survivorship and Mortality ............................................................................................ 21 3 Southern California and Central Coast Mountain Lions Comprise an Evolutionarily Significant Unit ............................................................................................................................. 22 3.1 CESA Provides for Listing of ESUs .............................................................................. 22 3.2 Southern California and Central Coast Mountain Lions are Significantly Reproductively Isolated from Other Populations and Form an ESU ................................................................. 23 3.3 Proposed Boundary of the Southern California/Central Coast ESU .............................. 25 3.4 Southern California and Central Coast Mountains Lions are Essential to the Region’s Biodiversity ............................................................................................................................... 28 3.5 Californians Derive Aesthetic, Recreational, and Economic Value from Southern California and Central Coast Mountain Lions .......................................................................... 29 4 Historical and Current Distribution ...................................................................................... 30 4.1 Central Coast North (CC-N) Mountain Lion Population ............................................... 32 4.2 Central Coast Central (CC-C) Mountain Lion Population ............................................. 32 4.3 Central Coast South (CC-S) Mountain Lion Population ................................................ 32 4.4 San Gabriel/San Bernardino Mountains (SGSB) Mountain Lion Population ................ 33 4.5 Santa Ana Mountains (SAM) Mountain Lion Population ............................................. 33 i 4.6 Eastern Peninsular Range (EPR) Mountain Lion Population ........................................ 33 5 Abundance and Population Trends ....................................................................................... 34 5.1 Central Coast North (CC-N) Mountain Lion Population ............................................... 35 5.2 Central Coast Central (CC-C) Mountain Lion Population ............................................. 35 5.3 Central Coast South (CC-S) Mountain Lion Population ................................................ 36 5.4 Santa Ana Mountains (SAM) Population....................................................................... 38 5.5 San Gabriel/San Bernardino Mountains (SGSB) Population ......................................... 39 5.6 Eastern Peninsular Range (EPR) Population ................................................................. 39 6 Factors Affecting Ability to Survive and Reproduce ........................................................... 40 6.1 Low Genetic Diversity and Inbreeding Depression ....................................................... 42 6.2 Vehicle Strikes ............................................................................................................... 44 6.3 Depredation and Illegal Kills ......................................................................................... 46 6.4 Intraspecific Strife .......................................................................................................... 48 6.5 Abandonment ................................................................................................................. 49 6.6 Poisoning from Rodenticides and Other Environmental Toxicants ............................... 50 6.7 Wildfires ......................................................................................................................... 51 6.8 Climate Change .............................................................................................................. 52 7 Degree and Immediacy of Threat ......................................................................................... 53 8 Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms ................................................................. 54 8.1 State Regulatory Mechanisms ........................................................................................ 54 8.1.1 CDFW Departmental Bulletins ............................................................................... 55 8.1.2 California Environmental Quality Act .................................................................... 56 8.1.3 Significant Natural Areas Program ......................................................................... 58 8.1.4 Natural Community Conservation Planning Act .................................................... 59 8.2 Federal Regulatory Mechanisms .................................................................................... 61 8.2.1 National Environmental Policy Act ........................................................................ 61 8.3 Regional and Local Plans and Policies .........................................................................