When a species is proposed for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must consider whether there are areas of habitat believed to be essential the species conservation. Those areas may be proposed for designation as critical habitat. Critical habitat is a term defined and used in the Act. It is a specific geographic area(s) that contains features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management and protection. Critical habitat may include an area that is not currently occupied by the species but that will be needed for its recovery. An area is designated as critical habitat after the Service publishes a proposed Federal regulation in the Federal Register and receives and considers public comments on the proposal. The final boundaries of the critical habitat are also published in the Federal Register.

Critical Habitat for Threatened and Endangered SpeciesThis National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) dataset, shared as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) feature layer, displays proposed and designated critical habitat under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. According to the FWS, "When the Fish and Wildlife Service proposes a species for listing under the Endangered Species Act, we are required to consider whether there are geographic areas that contain essential features on areas that are essential to conserve the species. If so, we may propose designating these areas as critical habitat."Canada Lynx and Atlantic SalmonData currency: current federal service (USFWS Critical Habitat)NGDAID: 3 (FWS Critical Habitat for Threatened and Endangered Species Dataset)OGC API Features Link: Not AvailableFor more information:Critical HabitatUSFWS Threatened & Endangered Species Active Critical Habitat ReportFor feedback, please contact: Esri_US_Federal_Data@esri.comNGDA Data SetThis data set is part of the NGDA Biodiversity and Ecosystems Theme Community. Per the Federal Geospatial Data Committee (FGDC), Biodiversity and Ecosystems is defined as pertaining to, or describing, "the dynamic processes, interactions, distributions, and relationships between and among organisms and their environments".For other NGDA Content: Esri Federal Datasets

Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) data characterize the marine and coastal environments and wildlife based on sensitivity to spilled oil. Coastal species that are listed as threatened, endangered, or as a species of concern, by either federal or state governments, are a primary focus. A subset of the ESI data, the ESI Threatened and Endangered Species (T&E) databases focus strictly on these species. Species are mapped individually. In addition to showing spatial extent, each species polygon, point, or line has attributes describing abundance, seasonality, threatened/endangered status, and life history. Both the state and federal status is provided, along with the year the ESI data were published. This is important, as the status of a species can vary over time. As always, the ESI data are a snapshot in time. The biology layers focus on threatened/endangered status, areas of high concentration, and areas where sensitive life stages may occur. Supporting data tables provide species-/location-specific abundance, seasonality, status, life history, and source information. Human-use resources mapped include managed areas (parks, refuges, critical habitats, etc.) and resources that may be impacted by oiling and/or cleanup, such as beaches, archaeological sites, marinas, etc. ESIs are available for the majority of the US coastline, as well as the US territories. ESI data are available as PDF maps, as well as in a variety of GIS formats. For more information, go to http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi . To download complete ESI data sets, go to http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi_download .

When a species is proposed for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must consider whether there are areas of habitat believed to be essential the species’ conservation. Those areas may be proposed for designation as “critical habitat.” Critical habitat is a term defined and used in the Act. It is a specific geographic area(s) that contains features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management and protection. Critical habitat may include an area that is not currently occupied by the species but that will be needed for its recovery. An area is designated as “critical habitat” after the Service publishes a proposed Federal regulation in the Federal Register and receives and considers public comments on the proposal. The final boundaries of the critical habitat are also published in the Federal Register. Critical habitat are areas considered essential for the conservation of a listed species. Federal agencies are required to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on actions they carry out, fund, or authorize to ensure that their actions will not destroy or adversely modify critical habitat. These areas provide notice to the public and land managers of the importance of these areas to the conservation of a listed species. Special protections and/or restrictions are possible in areas where Federal funding, permits, licenses, authorizations, or actions occur or are required.

When a species is proposed for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must consider whether there are areas of habitat believed to be essential the species’ conservation. Those areas may be proposed for designation as “critical habitat.” Critical habitat is a term defined and used in the Act. It is a specific geographic area(s) that contains features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management and protection. Critical habitat may include an area that is not currently occupied by the species but that will be needed for its recovery. An area is designated as “critical habitat” after the Service publishes a proposed Federal regulation in the Federal Register and receives and considers public comments on the proposal. The final boundaries of the critical habitat are also published in the Federal Register. Critical habitat are areas considered essential for the conservation of a listed species. Federal agencies are required to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on actions they carry out, fund, or authorize to ensure that their actions will not destroy or adversely modify critical habitat. These areas provide notice to the public and land managers of the importance of these areas to the conservation of a listed species. Special protections and/or restrictions are possible in areas where Federal funding, permits, licenses, authorizations, or actions occur or are required.

When a species is proposed for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must consider whether there are areas of habitat believed to be essential the species’ conservation. Those areas may be proposed for designation as “critical habitat.” Critical habitat is a term defined and used in the Act. It is a specific geographic area(s) that contains features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management and protection. Critical habitat may include an area that is not currently occupied by the species but that will be needed for its recovery. An area is designated as “critical habitat” after the Service publishes a proposed Federal regulation in the Federal Register and receives and considers public comments on the proposal. The final boundaries of the critical habitat are also published in the Federal Register. Critical habitat are areas considered essential for the conservation of a listed species. Federal agencies are required to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on actions they carry out, fund, or authorize to ensure that their actions will not destroy or adversely modify critical habitat. These areas provide notice to the public and land managers of the importance of these areas to the conservation of a listed species. Special protections and/or restrictions are possible in areas where Federal funding, permits, licenses, authorizations, or actions occur or are required.

When a species is proposed for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must consider whether there are areas of habitat believed to be essential the species’ conservation. Those areas may be proposed for designation as “critical habitat.” Critical habitat is a term defined and used in the Act. It is a specific geographic area(s) that contains features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management and protection. Critical habitat may include an area that is not currently occupied by the species but that will be needed for its recovery. An area is designated as “critical habitat” after the Service publishes a proposed Federal regulation in the Federal Register and receives and considers public comments on the proposal. The final boundaries of the critical habitat are also published in the Federal Register. Critical habitat are areas considered essential for the conservation of a listed species. Federal agencies are required to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on actions they carry out, fund, or authorize to ensure that their actions will not destroy or adversely modify critical habitat. These areas provide notice to the public and land managers of the importance of these areas to the conservation of a listed species. Special protections and/or restrictions are possible in areas where Federal funding, permits, licenses, authorizations, or actions occur or are required.

There are three main components to the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI): shoreline habitats, sensitive biological resources, and human-use resources. The shoreline and intertidal areas are ranked based on sensitivity determined by: (1) Shoreline type (substrate, grain size, tidal elevation, origin)(2) Exposure to wave and tidal energy(3) Biological productivity and sensitivity(4) Ease of cleanup. The biology layers focus on threatened/endangered species, areas of high concentration, and areas where sensitive life stages may occur. Supporting data tables provide species/location-specific abundance, seasonality, status, life history, and source information human use resources mapped include managed areas (parks, refuges, critical habitats, etc) and resources that may be impacted by oiling and/or clean-up, such as beaches, archaeological sites marinas etc. ESI's are available for the majority of the US coastline, as well as the US territories. ESI data are available in GIS formats as well as PDF maps. For more information or to download complete ESI data sets go to: https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esiFor the full metadata record please go to: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/40883For online ESI query tools, see the Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA): https://erma.noaa.gov/caribbean#layers=3+1475&x=-66.66708&y=18.11301&z=9&panel=layer

[Metadata] Description: Threatened and Endangered Plants as of 1992

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A conservation or mitigation bank is privately or publicly owned land managed for its natural resource values. In exchange for permanently protecting, managing, and monitoring the land, the bank sponsor is allowed to sell or transfer habitat credits to permitees who need to satisfy legal requirements and compensate for the environmental impacts of developmental projects.Conservation (Endangered Species) BankingA conservation bank generally protects threatened and endangered species and habitat. Credits are established for the specific sensitive species that occur on the site. Conservation banks help to consolidate small, fragmented sensitive species compensation projects into large contiguous preserves which have much higher wildlife habitat values. Other agencies that typically participate in the regulation and approval of conservation banks are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Marine Fisheries Service.Mitigation (Wetlands) BankingA mitigation bank protects, restores, creates, and enhances wetland habitats. Credits are established to compensate for unavoidable wetland losses. Use of mitigation bank credits must occur in advance of development, when the compensation cannot be achieved at the development site or would not be as environmentally beneficial. Mitigation banking helps to consolidate small, fragmented wetland mitigation projects into large contiguous preserves which will have much higher wildlife habitat values. Mitigation banks are generally approved by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

This data set depicts designated critical habitat for the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) in California, Oregon, and Washington as designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, under the Endangered Species Act. This data set is meant as a general locational reference for these designated areas. Please refer to the Federal Register Notice titled "Endangered and Threatened Species: Final Rule to Revise the Critical Habitat Designation for the Endangered Leatherback Sea Turtle" (Vol. 77, No. 17, Page 4170, January 26, 2012) for details and the legal definition.

These data identify the areas where final critical habitat has been mapped by the USFWS. These data were compiled by the Conservation Biology Institute (CBI) from a series of individual shapefiles published by the USFWS (http://criticalhabitat.fws.gov/). For more information on the process for mapping the critical habitat for each species, please see the metadata for each species listed on the USFWS web site. Critical habitat designations have not been made for all listed endangered species. Where critical habitat has been mapped, this dataset only contains those species for which GIS datasets have been made publicly available. Other critical habitat maps exist for some species in non-GIS formats only, and are therefore not represented within this dataset. These data are to be considered approximate only, and should not be used for legal purposes. For legal use, please refer to the Federal Register documents for each species (see http://criticalhabitat.fws.gov/). This file reflects available data through April 2008.

The Priority Habitats of Rare Species datalayer contains polygons representing the geographic extent of Habitat of state-listed rare species in Massachusetts based on observations documented within the last 25 years in the database of the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP). Priority Habitat polygons are the filing trigger for project proponents, municipalities, and all others for determining whether or not a proposed project or activity must be reviewed by the NHESP for compliance with the (MESA) and its implementing regulations. Areas delineated as Priority Habitats can include wetlands, uplands, and marine habitats—in fact, over half of the total acreage of Priority Habitat is mapped for marine habitats of state-listed rare species.The Priority Habitats presented here are part of the 15th Edition of the Massachusetts Natural Heritage Atlas, and are effective beginning August 1, 2021.If your project or activity falls within Priority Habitat and does not meet a MESA filing exemption (321 CMR 10.14), then you must file directly with the NHESP pursuant to MESA. For more information, please see the Regulatory Review section of the NHESP website.See full metadata.Also available as a map service.

CDFW BIOS GIS Dataset, Contact: Shanna Dunn, Description: This data set depicts designated critical habitat for the Green Sturgeon southern Distinct Population Segment, as designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, under the Endangered Species Act. This data set is meant as a general locational reference for these designated areas.

When a species is proposed for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must consider whether there are areas of habitat believed to be essential the species’ conservation. Those areas may be proposed for designation as “critical habitat.” Critical habitat is a term defined and used in the Act. It is a specific geographic area(s) that contains features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management and protection. Critical habitat may include an area that is not currently occupied by the species but that will be needed for its recovery. An area is designated as “critical habitat” after the Service publishes a proposed Federal regulation in the Federal Register and receives and considers public comments on the proposal. The final boundaries of the critical habitat are also published in the Federal Register. Critical habitat are areas considered essential for the conservation of a listed species. Federal agencies are required to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on actions they carry out, fund, or authorize to ensure that their actions will not destroy or adversely modify critical habitat. These areas provide notice to the public and land managers of the importance of these areas to the conservation of a listed species. Special protections and/or restrictions are possible in areas where Federal funding, permits, licenses, authorizations, or actions occur or are required.

This data set shows all critical habitat that NOAA Fisheries manages that is represented in a line format. NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have responsibility for implementing the Endangered Species Act of 1973. NOAA Fisheries has jurisdiction over most marine and anadromous species, whereas the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has jurisdiction over freshwater and terrestrial species. Species may be listed under the Endangered Species Act as either an “endangered species” or a “threatened species,” regardless of where they are found. Visit the NOAA Fisheries Species Directory or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Threatened and Endangered Species Active Critical Habitat Report for a complete listing of endangered and threatened species.Direct data download | MetadataThis item is curated by the MarineCadastre.gov team. Find more information at marinecadastre.gov.

This data set depicts designated critical habitat for black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii) in California, as designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, under the Endangered Species Act. This data set is meant as a general locational reference for these designated areas. Please refer to the Federal Register Notice titled "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Final Rulemaking to Designate Critical Habitat for Black Abalone" (Vol. 76, No. 208, Page 66806, October 27, 2011; 50 CFR Part 226.221) for details and the legal definition. (CFR = Code of Federal Regulations)

Link to the ScienceBase Item Summary page for the item described by this metadata record. Service Protocol: Link to the ScienceBase Item Summary page for the item described by this metadata record. Application Profile: Web Browser. Link Function: information

When a species is proposed for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must consider whether there are areas of habitat believed to be essential the species’ conservation. Those areas may be proposed for designation as “critical habitat.” Critical habitat is a term defined and used in the Act. It is a specific geographic area(s) that contains features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management and protection. Critical habitat may include an area that is not currently occupied by the species but that will be needed for its recovery. An area is designated as “critical habitat” after the Service publishes a proposed Federal regulation in the Federal Register and receives and considers public comments on the proposal. The final boundaries of the critical habitat are also published in the Federal Register. Critical habitat are areas considered essential for the conservation of a listed species. Federal agencies are required to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on actions they carry out, fund, or authorize to ensure that their actions will not destroy or adversely modify critical habitat. These areas provide notice to the public and land managers of the importance of these areas to the conservation of a listed species. Special protections and/or restrictions are possible in areas where Federal funding, permits, licenses, authorizations, or actions occur or are required.Please consult the source data for the most updated information: https://services.arcgis.com/QVENGdaPbd4LUkLV/ArcGIS/rest/services/USFWS_Critical_Habitat/FeatureServer