ESA section 7 consultation map

Section 7(a)(2) of the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure the agency's actions do not jeopardize a species' existence or destroy or adversely modify critical habitat. The Service records data about consultations in their "TAILS" database, which has been used to evaluate how this important part of the law is implemented. Geographic location (latitude, longitude, and datum) is one of the data types in TAILS, so in theory, we can map where consultations occur. We found that there are systematic differences in whether the Service actually records the data, which is clearly visible in this map. Personnel in some offices, such as in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, record the coordinates of almost every consultation. Other states, such as West Virginia and Kansas, rarely record coordinates. This patchiness limits our ability to draw inferences about the geography of consultations, which might otherwise help inform resource allocation decisions and improve the efficiency of the consultation program.