Recovery Plan for the brown pelican, Pelicanus occidentalis occidentalis in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands

Collazo, Jaime; Klaas, Erwin

1. Point or condition when the species can be considered recovered? The major objectives of the recovery process are to preserve brown pelican nesting, roosting, and feeding habitats, and to prevent loss of pelicans from contaminants and disease. The decision to delist the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico populations should be based on the following criteria: 1) a running 5 year mean population level of 2,300 individuals counted during January censuses throughout the coastal waters of the region, and 2) maintenance of a 5 year running average peak breeding population level of 350 pairs- for these populations. 2. What must be done to reach recovery? From 1980 through 1984, an average of 350 pairs nested and 2,300 individuals wintered in the Puerto Rico-U.S. Virgin Islands region. Maintenance of the population at this level (5 year running mean) must be attained to delist the pelican. 3. What specifically must be done to meet the needs of #2? Important tasks for delisting the Puerto Rico-U.S. Virgin Islands population are habitat protection, monitoring the effects of contaminants and disease on pelicans, monitoring·trends in productivity' and abundance, public education, and reduction of human disturbance. Essential to these recovery goals are the following: a. Management of important habitat. Prime nesting, feeding, and roosting areas have been identified. Land management agencies should work to prevent destruction of important mangrove and coral reef communities and the discharge of undesirable wastes that may effect important feeding areas. The public should be educated that human disturbance is a major threat to pelican habitat suitability. · b. Monitoring of contaminants and diseases. Several sites with large concentrations of pelicans have been identified as potential problem areas and should be monitored regularly. Other areas should be monitored as needed and prior to de 1 is t i ng. 4. What management/maintenance needs have been identified to keep the species recovered? Patrolling of important nesting, roosting, and feeding areas should continue. Selected sites should be monitored as needed for the presence of contaminants. Periodic censuses should be conducted to assess the population status of the pelican.