The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, and all zoos in the State of Florida, operate under three different “protected” species lists.  Each is generally referred to as an “endangered species” list, and each has very little to do with the other two.  All three lists have their own distinctive listing of levels of endangerment.  One list is international, one is American, and one is Floridian.

The Florida animal list is Florida’s Endangered Species, Threatened Species And Species Of Special Concern which is published by the Bureau of Non-game Wildlife, Division of Wildlife, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, Florida.  The plant list is the Notes on Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Plants produced by the Division of Plant Industry of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Gainesville, FL.  These endangered lists only apply to Florida.  The fauna list can be found on the web at www.wildflorida.org/species/Endangered-Threatened-Special-Concern-2004.pdf, and the flora list can be found at www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/botany/images/Notes2003.pdf.

The American lists are the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and the List of Endangered and Threatened Plants.  They are published as part of the Federal Register.  These are the U.S. Endangered Species Act lists and are administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  They only apply to the United States.  The fauna list can be found on the web at www.fws.gov/endangered/50cfr_animals.pdf, and the flora list is found at www.fws.gov/endangered/50cfr_plants.pdf.

The international list for both animals and plants is the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s IUCN Red List.  It is compiled by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre and published periodically by the IUCN – The World Conservation Union.  Although headquartered in Gland, Switzerland, there is an office in New York City.  The IUCN Red List can be found on the web at www.iucnredlist.org/search/search-basic.html.