Before a species, such as the desert tortoise, can receive protection under the Endangered Species Act, the Secretary of the Interior, through the Fish and Wildlife Service, is required to use the best available scientific and commercial data (e.g., biological or trade data obtained from scientific or commercial publications, administrative reports, maps or other graphic materials, or experts on the subject) to decide whether the species is at risk of extinction. Listing, Critical Habitat Designation, and Recommendations for Recovery Were Reasonable

Scientists we consulted agreed that the listing of the desert tortoise in 1990, the critical habitat designation, and the recommendations in the recovery plan were reasonable, based on the limited data available on the desert tortoise when the relevant decisions were made. In addition, researches noted declines in numbers. The criteria are:   as determined by a scientifically credible monitoring plan, the population within a recovery unit must exhibit a statistically significant upward trend or remain stationary for at least 25 years (one desert tortoise generation);   enough habitat must be protected within a recovery unit, or the habitat and desert tortoise populations must be managed intensively enough to ensure long-term population viability;   provisions must be made for population management within each recovery unit so that population growth rates are stable or increasing; regulatory mechanisms or land management commitments must be implemented that provide for long-term protection of desert tortoises and their habitat; and the population in a recovery unit is unlikely to need protection under the Endangered Species Act in the foreseeable future. Research is underway in several of the recommended areas, including diseases and how they are transmitted, desert tortoise habitat and health, nutrition, predation, the effects of climate variability on tortoises, and survival of juvenile desert tortoises. Expenditures for Desert Tortoise Recovery Exceed $100 Million, but the Total Economic Impact Has Not Been Quantified

Since the desert tortoise was first listed in 1980, more than $100 million has been spent on its conservation and recovery, but the total economic impact of the recovery effort is unknown. Aside from such expenditures, the overall economic impact—benefits as well as indirect costs incurred by local governments, landowners, and developers as a result of restrictions—associated with the tortoise recovery effort is unknown, although some limited analyses have been done. The five agencies’ total staff-time estimate for these pre- and post-reporting periods is valued at about $10.6 million (in addition to the $92 million in expenditures reported by federal and state agencies). Other kinds of restrictions can similarly have an economic cost. The county has funded 5 years’ population monitoring (conducted by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources) at $115,000 per year. Appendix II: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report examines (1) the scientific basis for the 1990 listing, critical habitat designation, and recovery plan recommendations for the desert tortoise; (2) the effectiveness of actions taken by federal agencies and others to conserve desert tortoises; (3) what is known about trends in tortoise populations; and (4) costs and benefits associated with tortoise recovery actions since 1980, when one population of the tortoise was listed, to the extent that data were available. To evaluate the scientific basis for the listing decision, critical habitat designation, and recovery plan (known collectively as “key decisions”), we contracted with the National Academy of Sciences to identify and assist in the selection of scientists to provide technical assistance.
Why GAO Did This Study

Since the 1980s, biologists have been concerned about declines in the Mojave Desert Tortoise, which ranges through millions of acres in the western United States. The tortoise was first listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in Utah in 1980; it was later listed as threatened rangewide in 1990. The listing and designation of critical habitat for the tortoise, as well as recommendations in the tortoise recovery plan, have been controversial. In our report, we evaluate--assisted by scientists identified by the National Academy of Sciences--the scientific basis for key decisions related to the tortoise, assess the effectiveness of actions taken to conserve desert tortoises, determine the status of the population, and identify costs and benefits associated with desert tortoise recovery actions.

What GAO Found

The 1990 listing of the desert tortoise, the critical habitat designation, and recommendations in the recovery plan for the tortoise were reasonable, given the information available at the time. Under the Endangered Species Act, listing and critical habitat decisions must be based on the best available scientific and commercial data. These decisions and the recovery plan recommendations were based on sources that reflected existing knowledge about desert tortoises. To protect the tortoise, government agencies have restricted grazing and off-road vehicle use and taken other protective actions in desert tortoise habitat, but the effectiveness of these actions is unknown. Research is underway in several areas, including tortoise disease, predation, and nutrition, but the research has not assessed the effectiveness of the protective actions. Furthermore, the status of desert tortoise populations is unclear because data are unavailable to demonstrate population trends. Before the tortoise may be delisted, populations must increase or remain stable for at least 25 years--one generation of desert tortoises. Determining the trends will cost an estimated $7.5 million in the first 5 years, plus additional monitoring every 3 to 5 years at a cost of about $1.5 million per year of monitoring. The Fish and Wildlife Service depends on other agencies and organizations to assist with funding and monitoring, but these agencies and organizations cannot guarantee assistance from year to year because of other priorities. Expenditures on desert tortoise recovery since the species' first listing in 1980 exceed $100 million, but the exact investment is unknown. The investment includes $92 million in "reasonably identifiable" expenditures for the tortoise, plus staff time valued at about $10.6 million. The overall economic impact of the tortoise recovery program--including benefits as well as the costs incurred by local governments, landowners, and developers as a result of restrictions--is unknown.