What does non-essential experimental status mean for the wild red wolf population restored in North Carolina?
A10: Under the ESA, the Secretary of Interior may designate restored populations established outside the species’ current range, but within its historical range, as “experimental.” Based on the best scientific and commercial data available, we must determine whether experimental populations are “essential” or “non-essential” to the continued existence of the species. Regulatory restrictions are considerably reduced under a non-essential, experimental population (NEP) designation. For the purposes of section 7 of the Act, the Service treats an NEP as a threatened species when the NEP is located within a National Wildlife Refuge or National Park, and section 7(a)(1) and the consultation requirements of section 7(a)(2) of the Act apply. When NEPs are located outside a National Wildlife Refuge or National Park, the Service treats the population as proposed for listing and only two provisions of section 7 apply: section 7(a)(1) and section 7(a)(4). In these instances, NEPs provide additiona
