FWS Critical Habitat for Threatened and Endangered Species Dataset

when a species is proposed for listing as endangered or threatened under the endangered species act the u s fish and wildlife service must consider whether there are areas of habitat believed to be essential the speciesâ conservation those areas may be proposed for designation as â critical habitatâ critical habitat is a term defined and used in the act it is a specific geographic area s that contains features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management and protection critical habitat may include an area that is not currently occupied by the species but that will be needed for its recovery an area is designated as â critical habitatâ after the service publishes a proposed federal regulation in the federal register and receives and considers public comments on the proposal the final boundaries of the critical habitat are also published in the federal register