It will take an estimated $54 million and three decades of work to save the Arizona eryngo, a blooming desert plant that has been entangled in some past public lands disputes, according to a new draft recovery plan.
The Fish and Wildlife Service-authored plan calls for a mix of activities that include introducing new populations, establishing new locations, preserving seeds, monitoring and reducing threats to the plant’s habitat. The plan now open for public review also stresses cooperation with non-federal parties.
“We are thankful to the many conservation partners in Arizona already helping with recovery efforts for the Arizona eryngo,” Erin Fernandez, a biologist with the FWS’s Arizona Ecological Services Field Office, said in a statement.
Fernandez cited, for instance, successful efforts to grow the plant from seed and introduce several new populations in two Arizona counties.
