Leatherback Sea Turtle Critical Habitat, CA

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires the Federal government to designate "critical habitat" for any ESA listed species. This dataset is a compilation of the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ESA listed species in coastal areas. Critical habitat is defined as: 1. Specific areas within the geographical area occupied by the species at the time of listing, if they contain physical or biological features essential to conservation, and those features may require special management considerations or protection; and 2. Specific areas outside the geographical area occupied by the species if the agency determines that the area itself is essential for conservation.