Quiero saber acerca de...

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 185 / Tuesday, September 28, 2021 / Proposed Rules species because of any of the following factors: A The present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range; B
Overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; C Disease or predation; D
The inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; or E Other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence.
Status Throughout All of Its Range After evaluating threats to the species and assessing the cumulative effect of the threats under the section 4a1
factors, we propose listing the South Llano Springs moss as an endangered species throughout all of its range. Only two very small populations of South Llano Springs moss have been documented, which were last observed in 1971 and 1979. One is now extirpated and the other is restricted to a 10 by 100
m 33 by 328 ft zone between Seven Hundred Springs and the South Llano River Wyatt and Stoneburner 1980, p.
516. Therefore, the species has an extremely low level of representation, and no redundancy, making it vulnerable to catastrophic events such as flash floods and droughts. During historic droughts, such as in the 1950s and 20062012, many regional springs ceased flowing and the flow of Seven Hundred Springs was greatly reduced.
Projected climate changes include an increased frequency, duration, and severity of droughts Factor E, thereby increasing the risk of interrupting the flow of Seven Hundred Springs and the desiccation and mortality of this obligately aquatic moss Factor A. The amount of pumping from the EdwardsTrinity aquifer is one of the most important factors influencing storage in the aquifer and the spring flows on which the South Llano Springs moss relies. Groundwater pumping is likely to increase as the human population grows and as the severity and duration of droughts increases. Prolonged drought Factor E, in combination with increased pumping from the EdwardsTrinity aquifer Factor E, further increase the probability of interrupting the flow of Seven Hundred Springs Factor A and, consequently, the probability of extinction of the South Llano Springs moss.
The South Llano Springs moss has little or no genetic diversity Factor E
because this species likely consists of clones of one or a few male individuals and is no longer capable of sexual reproduction Factor E. Consequently, the species has very low representation and likely has very little ability to adapt to environmental changes. In addition
VerDate Sep<11>2014

16:08 Sep 27, 2021

Jkt 253001

the South Llano Springs moss has poor redundancy because there is only one small population remaining. One drought event that reduced the flow of Seven Hundred Springs could result in the extirpation of this species.
We find that the South Llano Springs moss is presently in danger of extinction throughout its entire range based on the small remaining single population that is likely genetically compromised. This status puts the species on the brink of extinction where normal stochastic events, such as drought, flooding, or a human-caused drop in the aquifer level could lead to further decline or loss of the species entirely. The only other known population has not been observed since 1971 and is considered likely extirpated. This one remaining population could be affected by a variety of threats acting in combination to reduce the overall viability of the species. The risk of extinction is high because the remaining population is small, with no known potential for natural recolonization. We find that a threatened species status is not appropriate for the South Llano Springs moss because of the species current precarious condition due to its contracted range, small population size, and likely compromised genetics, because these stressors are severe, ongoing, and expected to continue into the future.
Therefore, after assessing the best available information, we determine that the South Llano Springs moss is in danger of extinction throughout all of its range.
Status Throughout a Significant Portion of Its Range Under the Act and our implementing regulations, a species may warrant listing if it is in danger of extinction or likely to become so in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. We have determined that the South Llano Springs moss is in danger of extinction throughout all of its range, and accordingly, did not undertake an analysis of any significant portion of its range. Because we have determined that the South Llano Springs moss warrants listing as an endangered species throughout all of its range, our determination is consistent with the decision in Center for Biological Diversity v. Everson, 2020 WL 437289
D.D.C. Jan. 28, 2020, in which the court vacated the aspect of the 2014
Significant Portion of its Range Policy that provided the Services do not undertake an analysis of significant portions of a species range if the
PO 00000

Frm 00049

Fmt 4702

Sfmt 4702

53615

species warrants listing as threatened throughout all of its range.
Determination of Status Our review of the best available scientific and commercial information indicates that the South Llano Springs moss meets the definition of an endangered species. Therefore, we propose to list the South Llano Springs moss as an endangered species in accordance with sections 36 and 4a1 of the Act.
Available Conservation Measures Conservation measures provided to species listed as endangered or threatened species under the Act include recognition, recovery actions, requirements for Federal protection, and prohibitions against certain practices.
Recognition through listing results in public awareness, and conservation by Federal, State, tribal, and local agencies, private organizations, and individuals.
The Act encourages cooperation with the States and other countries and calls for recovery actions to be carried out for listed species. The protection required by Federal agencies and the prohibitions against certain activities are discussed, in part, below.
The primary purpose of the Act is the conservation of endangered and threatened species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. The ultimate goal of such conservation efforts is the recovery of these listed species, so that they no longer need the protective measures of the Act. Section 4f of the Act calls for the Service to develop and implement recovery plans for the conservation of endangered and threatened species. The recovery planning process involves the identification of actions that are necessary to halt or reverse the species decline by addressing the threats to its survival and recovery. The goal of this process is to restore listed species to a point where they are secure, selfsustaining, and functioning components of their ecosystems.
Recovery planning consists of preparing draft and final recovery plans, beginning with the development of a recovery outline and making it available to the public within 30 days of a final listing determination. The recovery outline guides the immediate implementation of urgent recovery actions and describes the process to be used to develop a recovery plan.
Revisions of the plan may be done to address continuing or new threats to the species, as new substantive information becomes available. The recovery plan also identifies recovery criteria for review of when a species may be ready
E:FRFM28SEP1.SGM

28SEP1