The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is designed to protect and support the recovery of animal and plant species that are at risk of extinction, particularly those threatened by human activities. As part of this responsibility, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must ensure that the pesticides it registers do not harm endangered or threatened species, or the critical habitats they rely on for survival.
To support this, the EPA and the Arkansas Department of Agriculture implement the Endangered Species Protection Program, which helps reduce the risk of pesticide exposure to vulnerable species.
Program Goals
- Protect endangered and threatened species from harm caused by pesticide use.
- Minimize impact on pesticide users by providing clear, location-specific guidance.
How It Works
Certain pesticide product labels may direct users to review Endangered Species Protection Bulletins, which provide geographically specific pesticide use limitations. These bulletins are part of EPA’s national program to protect listed species and their designated critical habitats.
If your pesticide label references an endangered species bulletin, you are legally required to follow both the label instructions and the restrictions outlined in the bulletin.
Find Active Bulletins
To search for active bulletins and determine whether any species protections apply in your area, visit: https://www.epa.gov/endangered-species/bulletins-live-two-view-bulletins
EPA ESA Workplan Updates
The EPA is improving how it protects endangered species earlier in the pesticide registration and review process. Learn more about its updated strategy here:
Ecological Mitigation Points System
EPA has adopted a mitigation point system to convey the level of runoff/erosion mitigation required for a pesticide to address identified ecological risks (e.g. FIFRA Interim Ecological Mitigation (workplan), Strategies, and Vulnerable Species Action Plan). Users can achieve points based on the number and type of runoff/erosion mitigation measures that are adopted for a given treated field. Users also achieve points based on the presence of certain field characteristics/application parameters.
Check the pesticide label and Bulletins Live Two to determine how many mitigation points are required.
Below are mitigation menu tools to help applicators and farmers calculate their runoff and erosion mitigation points or ecological spray drift buffer reductions and what field characteristics or application parameters are applicable to their individual applications.
Mitigation Menu Tools: