PHOENIX � The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved the recovery plan for the Arizona eryngo, a flowering plant that occurs in desert wetlands of Arizona and Mexico. The recovery plan establishes downlisting and delisting criteria for the Arizona eryngo, which was listed as endangered in 2022. The overall goal of the recovery plan is to recover the species so that it no longer needs protections under the Endangered Species Act.
The Arizona eryngo is a long-living perennial with distinctive, cone-shaped flowers that are pollinated by bees, beetles and butterflies. The plant is part of the rare and diverse wetland ecosystem found in the arid Southwest, growing only in ³¦¾±Ã©²Ô±ð²µ²¹s, a type of desert wetland fed by natural springs. Groundwater pumping and diversion activities deplete water from ³¦¾±Ã©²Ô±ð²µ²¹s and threaten the species.
The overall recovery goal is to ensure the ongoing survival of the Arizona eryngo in the wild by increasing the number and sizes of its populations, conserving its habitat and reducing threats to the species. Recovery actions for the Arizona eryngo include introducing new populations, establishing ex-situ (off-site) plants, preserving seed collections, monitoring and studying the plant’s status and conservation needs, reducing threats to the species and its ³¦¾±Ã©²Ô±ð²µ²¹ habitat and engaging with stakeholders for long-term conservation.
A recovery plan is not a regulatory document, and implementation actions are not required by the ESA. Instead, it serves as a road map with specific management actions to foster cooperation in conservation for listed species and their ecosystems. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýappÏÂÔØ with partners, including private landowners and land managers, the Service uses a range of conservation tools to recover threatened and endangered species to ensure that they can survive on their own in the wild.
An electronic copy of . To obtain a copy by mail, send a request to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Ecological Services Field Office, 9828 North 31st Avenue, Suite C3, Phoenix, AZ 85051 or by email at [email protected].
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