A comprehensive review of Endangered Species Act recovery plans

Endangered Species Act recovery plans have come under increased scrutiny in both political and academic arenas as species are continually added to the endangered species list but few are removed. To promote more effective recovery planning, the Society for Conservation Biology, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, sponsored a collaborative project among 19 universities to systematically review a large representative sample of recovery plans. The primary goals of the project were to gather data about the content and characteristics of each sampled recovery plan; to analyze these data to identify important differences, patterns, and trends among the population of plan; and to use these results to inform recommendations for how the recovery planning process could be improved. We developed and used a detailed data collection Instrument to consider and characterize specific attributes of each sampled recovery plan. Topics covered by the Instrument included descriptive attributes of the plan and subject species, information about species' biology, threats to species, prescribed management actions, monitoring protocols, plan administration, public relations, and the criteria against which recovery was measured. Using a standardized data collection Instrument helped to ensure that data collection was systematic and consistent. Data were compiled into a single large database that could then be queried for quantitative, statistical analyses. We describe the methods used to sample recovery plans, develop the Instrument, calibrate data collection, and conduct recovery plan reviews. Finally, we note potential benefits and limitations of this collaborative project.