[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 191 (Tuesday, October 4, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-24512]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: October 4, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
50 CFR Part 17
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Finding on
Petition and Initiation of Status Review for Koala
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of petition finding and status review.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces the 90-day
finding that a petition to add the Australian koala to the List of
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife has presented substantial
information indicating that the action may be warranted. A status
review of this species is initiated.
DATES: The finding announced herein was made on September 26, 1994.
Comments and information may be submitted until February 1, 1995.
ADDRESSES: Comments, information, and questions should be submitted to
the Chief, Office of Scientific Authority; Mail Stop: room 725,
Arlington Square; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Washington, D.C.
20240 (Fax number 703-358-2276). Express and messenger-delivered mail
should be addressed to the Office of Scientific Authority; room 750,
4401 North Fairfax Drive; Arlington, Virginia 22203. The petition
finding, supporting data, and comments will be available for public
inspection, by appointment, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through
Friday, at the Arlington, Virginia address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Charles W. Dane, Chief, Office of
Scientific Authority, at the above address (phone 703-358-1708).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 4(b)(3) of the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended, requires that within 90 days of receipt of a
petition to list, delist, or reclassify a species, or to revise a
critical habitat designation, a finding be made on whether the petition
has presented substantial information indicating that the requested
action may be warranted, and that such finding be published promptly in
the Federal Register
If the finding is positive, Section 4(b)(3) also requires
commencement of a review of the status of the involved species. The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) now announces a 90-day finding
on a recently received petition.
The petition was submitted by Australians for Animals (in
Australia) and the Fund for Animals (in the United States); about 40
additional organizations in the United States and Australia were named
as supporting the petition. It was dated May 3, 1994, and was received
by the Service on May 5, 1994. It requests that the koala
(Phascolarctos cinereus), a bearlike Australian marsupial, be
classified as endangered in New South Wales and Victoria, and as
threatened in Queensland.
The koala once occurred over much of the three indicated states, as
well as in part of South Australia, and numbered in the millions. The
petition presents an extensive compilation of data, including recent
direct testimony from authorities on the species, suggesting that the
koala has declined greatly in distribution and numbers, and that its
status is likely to continue to deteriorate. Reportedly, there are
practically none left in South Australia and only a few thousand in New
South Wales and Victoria; the Queensland population may be less than 10
percent of what it was in the 1920s.
The species was drastically reduced by excessive killing for its
fur up through the 1920s. It subsequently was provided legal protection
from such killing, but, according to the petition, remnant populations
are relatively small and badly fragmented. Logging, agriculture, and
other problems have eliminated at least two-thirds of the original
forest and woodland habitat, further declines are occurring, and little
of the remaining habitat is well protected. The species is totally
dependent for food and shelter on certain types of trees within forests
and woodlands. The destruction or degradation of this habitat will
reduce the viability of populations, even if the animals are otherwise
protected, and many local populations are said to have disappeared in
recent years. Other reported problems include fires, diseases,
droughts, harassment by dogs, interference with normal gene flow, and
killing along the roads now penetrating habitat. The largest population
remaining in Queensland is now said to be immediately threatened by a
major highway project that would bisect its habitat.
The Service is aware that the koala is generally protected by
federal and procincial laws in Australia, and that there have been
intensive government efforts to conserve and reintroduce some
populations. However, the information presented by the petition gives
cause for concern about the over-all prospects for the species and its
natural ecosystems, and suggests that further review of the situation
is advisable. The Service therefore has found that the petition
presents substantial information indicating that the requested action
may be warranted. Also, pursuant to Section 4(b)(3), the Service hereby
commences a review of the status of the involved species. Submission of
appropriate data, opinions, and publications regarding this petition is
encouraged. In accordance with Section 4(b)(3), within 12 months of
receipt of the petition, the Service will make another finding as to
whether the requested action is warranted, not warranted, or warranted
but precluded by other listing measures.
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: September 26, 1994.
Bruce Blanchard,
Acting Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 94-24512 Filed 10-3-94; 8:45 am]
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