Sacramento, California; December 15th, 2025
California has formally advanced certain mountain lion populations further into the endangered species review process, not through press announcements or advocacy statements, but through documented regulatory action taken under state law by the agencies charged with wildlife protection.
On April 21st, 2020, THE CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION, acting under authority granted by the California Endangered Species Act, issued a Notice of Findings determining that a petition seeking endangered species protections for mountain lions in Southern California and along the Central Coast contained sufficient information to conclude that listing may be warranted; with that determination, the Commission designated the affected population as a candidate species under state law.
Candidate status is a legally defined stage within the California Endangered Species Act, and it carries immediate consequences; once a species is designated as a candidate, it receives statutory protections while the required scientific review is conducted. The Commission’s action did not declare mountain lions endangered, but it did trigger the next mandatory phase of the process.
Following that determination, responsibility shifted to THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE, the agency required by statute to prepare a comprehensive, science-based status review. According to official information published by THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE, the department is conducting an evaluation of the designated mountain lion population that examines habitat conditions, landscape fragmentation, mortality sources, genetic connectivity, and long-term viability within the affected region.
The Department’s review, as required by law, must be based on the best available scientific information, must undergo independent peer review, and must be submitted to THE CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION for consideration before any final listing decision can be made. The Commission retains sole authority to determine whether the species will ultimately be listed as threatened or endangered under the California Endangered Species Act.
This review process operates within an existing legal framework that already affords mountain lions a unique status in California. Under long-standing state law, mountain lions are classified as specially protected mammals, a designation that prohibits sport hunting and establishes penalties for unlawful take; the current endangered species review builds upon that framework, focusing specifically on population health, habitat connectivity, and regional survival pressures rather than harvest management.
In its Notice of Findings, THE CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION emphasized that advancing the species to candidate status reflects procedural sufficiency, not a predetermined outcome; the action acknowledges that available information warrants closer examination, while deferring final judgment until the Department’s status review is complete.
Official materials released by THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE confirm that the review remains active and that the resulting report will be made available for Commission consideration prior to any final vote. Until that time, the candidate designation places mountain lions within a legally protected review posture, one that elevates scrutiny and limits take while the scientific record is developed.
California has not yet declared mountain lions endangered or threatened statewide; instead, the state has moved the species into a formal, legally significant stage of evaluation, one defined by statute and governed by documented agency action. The outcome of that process will depend on the findings presented to the Commission and the Commission’s subsequent vote, as required by law.
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Sources
Primary First-Hand Sources
• THE CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION, Notice of Findings designating Southern California and Central Coast mountain lions as a candidate species under the California Endangered Species Act
• THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE, official mountain lion species status information and California Endangered Species Act review documentation
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