Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed Rule to List the Flatwoods Salamander as Threatened

摘要

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) proposes to list the flatwoods salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum) as a threatened species under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This salamander occurs in isolated populations scattered across the lower southeastern Coastal Plain in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Habitat loss and degradation from agriculture, urbanization, and silvicultural practices have resulted in the loss of over 80 percent of its pine flatwoods habitat. Surviving populations are currently threatened by the continued destruction and degradation of their habitat. This proposed rule, if made final, would extend the Act's protection to this species.