The GAO cites an instance when the Bureau of Land Management eliminated sheep grazing on tortoise habitat in California, but neither the bureau nor FWS ensured that necessary research was conducted to assess if this action actually benefited the tortoise.

“Unless managers link research findings to recovery actions, they cannot develop a scientific basis to make decisions about whether land use restrictions—such as limiting grazing or other activities in tortoise habitat—should remain unchanged, be strengthened, or whether alternative actions are more appropriate,” the report states.

In February, the Union of Concerned scientists reported a survey that found half of all FWS scientists saying they had “been directed, for non-scientific reasons, to refrain from making jeopardy or other findings that are protective of species.” The GAO report—which states that the agency is generally using the best available information in its decision—appears to contradict this finding.