|
FWC SEEKS PUBLIC
INPUT TO HELP PROTECT MANATEES
November 9, 2006 (updated Nov. 14, 2006)
Contact: Willie Puz, office (850) 488-4676, cell (850)
528-4428
NOTE:
Executive Summary –
http://myfwc.com/whatsnew/06/statewide/draftmanateeplanexecutivesummary.pdf
Full Draft Manatee Management Plan with Addendum
-
http://www.myfwc.com/manatee/DRAFT%20MMP%2011-09-06_addendum.pdf
Addendum Only -
http://www.myfwc.com/manatee/Addendum.pdf
The Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) today released a draft of
the state’s first manatee management plan and is seeking public
input. The plan outlines future protections to ensure the
species’ continued recovery, and it is the final step in
changing the manatee’s classification on the state’s imperiled
species list after lengthy study and review by experts.
“The fact that the
manatee did not merit classification as endangered is a tribute
to the commitment made to manatee conservation over the past 30
years. This effort has few parallels in conservation biology,”
FWC’s Imperiled Species Management Section leader Kipp Frohlich
said.
In order to change
manatees’ classification to threatened, the FWC must adopt a new
management plan.
“This first draft
incorporated extensive public input,” Frohlich said. “Now we are
looking to Floridians to let us know if it meets their
expectations for manatee recovery and management.”
From now until Jan.
11, 2007, Florida residents can comment on the plan. FWC staff
will evaluate their comments and modify the plan as necessary to
ensure continued progress towards recovery for the manatee. The
revised draft will be on the agenda for final approval at the
FWC’s April or June 2007 meeting. Once the management plan is
approved, the manatee’s classification will change from
endangered to threatened.
The draft plan
includes new measurable biological goals for assessing progress,
developing solutions for the potential loss of manatee
warm-water refuges and developing improved methods for
monitoring manatee populations. Many current management
activities, such as boating regulations and speed zones, reviews
of coastal permits, county manatee protection plan development
and other habitat protections will continue. The draft plan
also addresses evaluating the effectiveness of current
management actions.
Earlier this year,
FWC Commissioners agreed with the findings of the Florida
manatee biological review panel, which found that the manatee
meets Florida’s requirements to be classified as a threatened
species -- one with a very high risk of extinction. To qualify
as an endangered species it would have to be in imminent danger
of extinction. Under the state’s listing process, the
imperilment categories of endangered, threatened and species of
special concern define the risk of extinction, not the level of
protection each species receives. Protection measures are
outlined in species-specific management plans.
The draft manatee management plan
is available online at:
MyFWC.com,
and click on “Imperiled Species” then “Listing Actions &
Petitions.” Comments should be sent by 5 p.m., Jan. 11 to
Manatee Management Plan Comments, DHSC, Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission, 620 S. Meridian St., Mail
Station 6A, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600 or e-mail
manatee_plan@MyFWC.com.
(Note: Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are
public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released
in response to a public records request, do not send electronic
mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in
writing.)
|
