Habitat - Learn More and Become Involved

NEPA requires the disclosure and analysis of the human impact on the natural environment.  That natural environment is often habitat for endangered and threatened and bears the title of "critical habitat".

Habitat is a combination of environmental factors that provides food, water, cover and space that a living thing needs to survive and reproduce. Habitat types include: coastal and estuaries, rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, wetlands, riparian areas, deserts, grasslands and prairies, forests, coral reefs, marine, perennial snow and ice, and urban.

Critical Habitat is that habitat necessary for survival and recovery of threatened and endangered species.

Destruction, degradation, and fragmentation of habitat is a driving force behind today's decline in species and biodiversity. Impacts to habitat can be caused directly by such activities as the clearing of forests to grow crops or build homes, or indirectly, for example, by the introduction of invasive species or increased pollution run-off from yards and fields. It is the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

Habitat defined as critical habitat for threatened species affects a wide range of recreation interests, including private property, in addition to public lands. Learn more about the habitat-related activities of the Fish and Wildlife Service programs by visiting the link below - and get involved.

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Endangered Species