Florida wildlife officials are deciding how they will phase out one of the two listings that protect the state’s imperiled species. It’s the least severe state protection called “Species of Special Concern.” The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently released an updated proposal that could add three times as many species to the highest level of state wildlife protection.
There are 42 “Species of Special Concern” right now. But FWC’s Claire Sunquist wants to get them off the list. The proposal would either classify them as the top listing of “Threatened” or de-list them altogether. However, Sunquist said five need to stay put because researchers just don’t know enough about them yet.
"We're trying to make a determination on those five so that we no longer have that status," said Sunquist. "So we can be more consistent with how we're applying the listing designation."
Sunquist said this category confuses Floridians. And Julie Wraithmell, with conservation organization Audubon Florida, agreed. Wraithmell said the state’s “Special Concern” category carries no weight-- it’s kind of like a waiting list for wildlife to become “Threatened.”
“We want species to get the protection they need if they're declining so we can reverse the declines and get them off the list," said Wraithmell. "So having this one simple 'Threatened' category, I think, is gonna make a lot more sense for species and it's gonna be a lot more understandable for Floridians too.”
FWC Commissioners will vote on the proposal in April. If they approve it, FWC’s Sunquist expects the category will be eliminated by 2017.
