First, action agencies need to know which listed species or designated critical habitat occur in their project areas.
Species and critical habitat found in the Southeast Region
Next, action agencies need to determine if ESA consultation is required. Consultation is not required if the action agency determines that the proposed project will have “no effect” to listed species or designated critical habitat. This means that a listed species or designated critical habitat will not be affected (adversely or beneficially), either because it will not be present or because the project does not have any elements with the potential to affect the species or critical habitat. If listed species or critical habitat may be affected, then consultation is required.
All informal Section 7 consultation requests must be submitted in the expedited consultation format as of February 1, 2022.
The following sections are provided to help you determine whether consultation is necessary and how to develop a consultation request:
- Species and Critical Habitat Lists
- ESA Section 7 Mapper
- Species and Critical Habitat Consultation Frameworks
- Section 7 Consultation Guidance
- Making a "No Effect" Determination (PDF, 3 pages)
- Expedited Informal Consultation
- After-the-Fact Permitting (PDF, 2 pages)
- Emergency Consultations
- Frequently Requested Biological Opinions
- Endangered Species Act Policies, Guidance, and Regulations
- Protected Species Educational Signs
Submitting a Request
To submit a consultation request, the action agency should follow these steps.
For Additional Help
We strongly encourage action agency staff or non-federal representatives who may need to do ESA consultations to contact us:
Phone: (727) 824-5312
Email: nmfs.ser.esa.consultations@noaa.gov
We are happy to provide you with assistance and guidance—before you begin the official ESA consultation process—to make the process easier, quicker, and more efficient.
To report incidental take, please fill out the Endangered Species Take Report Form