Delaware Protected Species Program Glossary: Key Terms & Definitions for Developers and Consultants

Delaware Protected Species Program Key Terms & Definitions

Conservation: The act of protecting, preserving, and managing natural resources, including wildlife and their habitats, to ensure their long-term survival and well-being.

Critical Habitat: A specific geographic area that is essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and may require special management and protection. Critical habitats are designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Endangered Species Act.

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC): The state agency responsible for administering and enforcing the Delaware Protected Species Program and other environmental regulations in Delaware.

Delaware Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act: The state law that provides the statutory authority for the Delaware Protected Species Program and outlines the program's goals, requirements, and enforcement mechanisms.

Delaware Wildlife Action Plan: A comprehensive plan that guides Delaware's wildlife conservation efforts, including the Protected Species Program. The current version was adopted in 2015, with updates planned for 2025.

Endangered Species: A species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, as determined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Endangered Species Act.

Endangered Species Act (ESA): The federal law that provides for the conservation of endangered and threatened species of plants and animals and the habitats in which they are found. The ESA is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Habitat: The natural environment in which an organism or population normally lives and includes the physical and biological features that are essential to its survival.

Harass: An intentional or negligent act or omission which creates the likelihood of injury to wildlife by annoying it to such an extent as to significantly disrupt normal behavioral patterns which include, but are not limited to, breeding, feeding, or sheltering (as defined in 7 Del. C. § 601(9)).

Invertebrates: Animals that lack a backbone, such as insects, spiders, crustaceans, and mollusks. Some invertebrate species are protected under the Delaware Protected Species Program.

Listed Species: A species that has been designated as endangered or threatened under the Delaware Protected Species Program or the federal Endangered Species Act.

Mitigation: Actions taken to avoid, minimize, or compensate for the adverse environmental impacts of a project or activity, such as creating or restoring habitat for protected species.

Native Wildlife: Animal species that naturally occur in Delaware and have not been introduced by humans.

Permit: A document issued by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control that authorizes a person or entity to engage in an activity that would otherwise be prohibited under the Delaware Protected Species Program, subject to certain conditions and requirements.

Protected Species: A species that is designated as endangered or threatened under the Delaware Protected Species Program or the federal Endangered Species Act and is afforded legal protection from activities that may harm or harass it.

Recovery Plan: A document that outlines the actions needed to help a protected species recover to the point where it no longer needs the protections of the Delaware Protected Species Program or the federal Endangered Species Act.

Species: A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. The Delaware Protected Species Program focuses on protecting native wildlife species that are endangered or threatened.

Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Species identified in the Delaware Wildlife Action Plan as requiring conservation action due to their rare, declining, or vulnerable status.

Take: To harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect a protected species, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct (as defined in 7 Del. C. § 601(16)).

Threatened Species: A species that is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range, as determined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Endangered Species Act.

Title 7, Chapter 6 of the Delaware Code: The primary legal reference for the Delaware Protected Species Program, which outlines the program's statutory authority, requirements, and enforcement mechanisms.

Violation: An act or omission that contravenes the requirements of the Delaware Protected Species Program, such as taking a protected species without a permit or damaging its habitat.

Wildlife: Any species of the animal kingdom, including but not limited to mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and their eggs or offspring (as defined in 7 Del. C. § 601(18)).