Research Proposal On Pygmy Sloths

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protects animals, plants, land, and waters by managing more than 500 National Wildlife Refuges or 150 million-acres. The organization’s mission is to “work with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people”(Fish and Wildlife Service). While the organization is centered around helping conserve the American land, in my research for my proposal to better protect the lsla Escudo de Verguas in order to help the critically endangered Pygmy sloths, I found a petition issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to announce their 90-day findings to list the pygmy sloth as endangered back in 2014. Since the announcement of these findings, …show more content…
On that island, pygmy sloths have nearly exclusively been found in red mangrove forests. These forests comprise four acres of the total island area (Zuardo). The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List assessments estimated the population to be less than 500 individuals, but the most recent surveys on Isla Escudo detected only “79 individuals located in five isolated patches of red mangrove forest, with no single population great than 20 …show more content…
Fish and Wildlife Service, all national wildlife refuges are required to create a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP). A Comprehensive Conservation Plan outlines the plan of action on a refuge for a ten to fifteen-year period. This plan gives the public an opportunity to provide input to help “ensure that conversation and public visitation remain priorities on each refuge” (Comprehensive Conservation Plans). There are five basic steps in the CCP process; the first step is the “Scoping Phase”. In this phase, the refuge holds an open house to gain feedback on what the public feels are the major concerns affecting the refuge. At this stage, employees collect data on wildlife education needs and price. From the feedback from the public, the employees gather the surveys in the first phase to formulate a plan in step two. In the third step of the plan, the team writes a draft plan. The draft should “identify management alternatives and examine effects each would have on wildlife and habitat, visitation and public use, and refuge acquisition and expansion” (Comprehensive Conservation Plan). After the draft is completed, it is reviewed by the Fish and Wildlife Services. The draft is also shared with the public, often through press releases, open houses, and presentations. The final two steps are to revise the plan until it gets approved then finalize the plan. The Comprehensive Conservation Plan in action is a great system of check and balances to