Status Review Initiated for Vicuña Under the Endangered Species Act

Contacts:
Claire Cassel
703-358-2357
[email protected]

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The U.S.F.W.S. is initiating a five-year review for the vicuña, a species belonging to the Camelidae family, to ensure the species has the appropriate level of protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA requires the Service to review the status of federally-listed species at least once every 5 years. Other members of this family include camels, llamas and alpacas.

The Service is requesting information that has become accessible since the last review of the vicuña in 2002, when populations of vicuña in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru were reclassified as threatened under the ESA; the introduced population of vicuña in Ecuador retained its endangered status.

The review will assess: (1) whether new information suggests the species is increasing, declining, or stable; (2) whether existing threats are increasing, unchanged, reduced, or eliminated; (3) if there are new threats; and, (4) if any new information or analysis questions any of the conclusions in the original listing determination as to the species' classification. A species classification cannot be changed until the formal rulemaking process, including a public review and review period, is complete.

Information may be submitted in writing to the Branch of Foreign Species, by the following methods:

• Electronically: Email Emily Weller at [email protected], or
• U.S. mail: U.S.F.W.S.; 4401 North Fairfax Drive; Room 420; Arlington, Virginia 22203.

The ESA provides a critical safety net for fish, wildlife and plants and has prevented the extinction of hundreds of imperiled species, as well as promoted the recovery of many others. The Service is engaged with conservation partners and the public in the search for improved and innovative ways to conserve and recover imperiled species. To learn more about the Endangered Species program's Branch of Foreign Species, visit: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/international-activities.html.

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