Sonoran Desert Tortoise Gets Protected Status

KGUN (Tucson, Arizona) 12/14/10, by Sheryl Kornman


Phoenix: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the Sonoran desert tortoise as a candidate for endangered species protection.

Its status will be reviewed annually. It is not on the list of endangered species, but could be added to the list once there is sufficient scientific information to warrant it.

An announcement by the federal agency on Monday states that:

"Much like the saguaro cactus, the Sonoran desert tortoise is symbolic of the rich Southwestern desert," said Steve Spangle, the Service's Arizona field supervisor. "A collection of various conservation partners have made great strides to better understand and protect the Sonoran desert tortoise, but our comprehensive analysis shows an increasing magnitude of threats is offsetting some conservation efforts. This candidate conservation status should increase opportunities for reversing this trend."

The Service's determination - also known as a 12-month finding - indicates sufficient scientific and commercial data exist to warrant protecting the Sonoran desert tortoise as a Distinct Population Segment (DPS) under the ESA. This follows a comprehensive review of the best available scientific information concerning the Sonoran desert tortoise and the threats it faces. A combination of habitat loss and threats resulting from increasing population growth in the Southwest and northern Mexico are threatening the Sonoran population of the desert tortoise.

The Sonoran tortoise differs from the Mojave desert tortoise, which has been listed as an endangered species threatened since 1989.

The Sonoran desert tortoise occurs south and east of the Colorado River, and half of its range extends into northern Mexico where it is currently listed as threatened by the Mexican government. Unlike the Mojave population that generally occupies desert valley floors, the Sonoran desert tortoise generally prefers rocky, steep slopes and bajadas (lower mountain slopes including alluvial fans - fan-shaped deposits at the ends of canyons formed when fast flowing streams slow and widen) and, to a lesser extent, others may occupy flatter terrain.

The Service will add the Sonoran desert tortoise to its list of candidate species and review its status annually."

From: Herp Digest,
Volume # 10 Issue # 55