Latest news with #U.S.EndangeredSpeciesAct
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Trump is trying to defang the Endangered Species Act
More than 50 years after the bipartisan U.S. Endangered Species Act was passed unanimously in the Senate and by a vote of 355 to 4 in the House of Representatives, the federal government is proposing to remove the legislation's teeth. A proposed rule by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service would remove the regulatory definition of the term 'harm' and strip away the law's regulated habitat protections, which have been proven enormously effective at preventing species extinctions. Currently, including the definition of the term 'harm' in the regulations is critical, as it specifies that habitat destruction — and not just direct killing of animals — contributes to wildlife population declines. For that reason, the proposed changes represent not a minor technicality but a fundamental weakening of species protections. At a time when the majority of the world's scientists agree that the planet is facing an unprecedented extinction crisis, the proposed reduction of protection against species extinction in the United States is both unfathomable and unacceptable. The Endangered Species Act has helped safeguard more than 1,700 species and their habitats. According to a 2019 paper published by the Center for Biological Diversity, the law has also been extraordinarily successful, preventing 99 percent of species listed from going extinct. Without regulations that protect critical habitat, we will see an increased chance of species becoming endangered and a lower chance of recovery once a species is listed as endangered or threatened, resulting in a higher rate of extinctions. Decades of scientific research, including by our own organization, consistently demonstrates that habitat is the most critical component of a species' survival and successful population recovery. For example, our long-term monitoring of an endangered secretive marsh bird in the San Francisco Estuary — the California Ridgway's Rail — has demonstrated the species' high sensitivity to changes in habitat quality and extent. With an estimated population as small as 2,000 individuals, California Ridgway's Rails remain at elevated risk of extinction if existing habitat protections are reduced. Similarly, long-term monitoring of Northern Spotted Owls in Marin County, Calif., has demonstrated that continued protection of habitat is essential to support a stable population. Another example: Research into the California Current ecosystem has consistently shown that whales, including endangered blue, fin and humpback whales, rely on specific oceanic habitats for foraging and migration. It has identified key ocean habitat 'hotspots' where critical food sources for whales, such as krill and anchovies, are concentrated. Habitat degradation from increased vessel traffic, underwater noise, pollution and warming waters has been linked to whales being displaced from their feeding areas, as well as heightened risk of deadly collisions with ships and entanglements in fishing gear. Our research demonstrates that habitat quality and protection are essential to prevent harm to endangered whale species and to support their recovery under the Endangered Species Act. Weakening habitat-based protections, as proposed, would undermine decades of scientific progress and regulatory advances aimed at conserving these iconic species. In a country where a wide range of issues have become increasingly polarized by political views, the issue of protecting wildlife remains strongly bipartisan. According to a 2024 poll commissioned by the Indianapolis Zoological Society, nine in 10 Americans think the federal government should do more to strengthen the Endangered Species Act, including 93 percent of Democratic and 83 percent of Republican respondents. The proposed regulatory change therefore contradicts public opinion in addition to decades of scientific evidence. If enacted, the proposed regulatory change would counteract the significant progress for endangered species that has been made to this point. At a minimum, we strongly urge the federal government to maintain the current regulations. The research summarized in 1995 by the National Research Council (U.S.) Committee on Scientific Issues in the Endangered Species Act still rings true today: 'there is no disagreement in the ecological literature about one fundamental relationship: sufficient loss of habitat will lead to species extinction.' The science is clear that habitat is essential for the survival of wildlife populations. Without explicit habitat protections in place, endangered species will be at much greater risk of extinction, and species not yet listed as endangered will be at greater risk of population declines and listing. For these reasons, we strongly oppose removing explicit habitat protections from Endangered Species Act regulations. Rose Snyder is director of community engagement and Liz Chamberlin is director of innovation at the California-based nonprofit Point Blue Conservation Science. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump is trying to defang the Endangered Species Act
More than 50 years after the bipartisan U.S. Endangered Species Act was passed unanimously in the Senate and by a vote of 355 to 4 in the House of Representatives, the federal government is proposing to remove the legislation's teeth. A proposed rule by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service would remove the regulatory definition of the term 'harm' and strip away the law's regulated habitat protections, which have been proven enormously effective at preventing species extinctions. Currently, including the definition of the term 'harm' in the regulations is critical, as it specifies that habitat destruction — and not just direct killing of animals — contributes to wildlife population declines. For that reason, the proposed changes represent not a minor technicality but a fundamental weakening of species protections. At a time when the majority of the world's scientists agree that the planet is facing an unprecedented extinction crisis, the proposed reduction of protection against species extinction in the United States is both unfathomable and unacceptable. The Endangered Species Act has helped safeguard more than 1,700 species and their habitats. According to a 2019 paper published by the Center for Biological Diversity, the law has also been extraordinarily successful, preventing 99 percent of species listed from going extinct. Without regulations that protect critical habitat, we will see an increased chance of species becoming endangered and a lower chance of recovery once a species is listed as endangered or threatened, resulting in a higher rate of extinctions. Decades of scientific research, including by our own organization, consistently demonstrates that habitat is the most critical component of a species' survival and successful population recovery. For example, our long-term monitoring of an endangered secretive marsh bird in the San Francisco Estuary — the California Ridgway's Rail — has demonstrated the species' high sensitivity to changes in habitat quality and extent. With an estimated population as small as 2,000 individuals, California Ridgway's Rails remain at elevated risk of extinction if existing habitat protections are reduced. Similarly, long-term monitoring of Northern Spotted Owls in Marin County, Calif., has demonstrated that continued protection of habitat is essential to support a stable population. Another example: Research into the California Current ecosystem has consistently shown that whales, including endangered blue, fin and humpback whales, rely on specific oceanic habitats for foraging and migration. It has identified key ocean habitat 'hotspots' where critical food sources for whales, such as krill and anchovies, are concentrated. Habitat degradation from increased vessel traffic, underwater noise, pollution and warming waters has been linked to whales being displaced from their feeding areas, as well as heightened risk of deadly collisions with ships and entanglements in fishing gear. Our research demonstrates that habitat quality and protection are essential to prevent harm to endangered whale species and to support their recovery under the Endangered Species Act. Weakening habitat-based protections, as proposed, would undermine decades of scientific progress and regulatory advances aimed at conserving these iconic species. In a country where a wide range of issues have become increasingly polarized by political views, the issue of protecting wildlife remains strongly bipartisan. According to a 2024 poll commissioned by the Indianapolis Zoological Society, nine in 10 Americans think the federal government should do more to strengthen the Endangered Species Act, including 93 percent of Democratic and 83 percent of Republican respondents. The proposed regulatory change therefore contradicts public opinion in addition to decades of scientific evidence. If enacted, the proposed regulatory change would counteract the significant progress for endangered species that has been made to this point. At a minimum, we strongly urge the federal government to maintain the current regulations. The research summarized in 1995 by the National Research Council (U.S.) Committee on Scientific Issues in the Endangered Species Act still rings true today: 'there is no disagreement in the ecological literature about one fundamental relationship: sufficient loss of habitat will lead to species extinction.' The science is clear that habitat is essential for the survival of wildlife populations. Without explicit habitat protections in place, endangered species will be at much greater risk of extinction, and species not yet listed as endangered will be at greater risk of population declines and listing. For these reasons, we strongly oppose removing explicit habitat protections from Endangered Species Act regulations. Rose Snyder is director of community engagement and Liz Chamberlin is director of innovation at the California-based nonprofit Point Blue Conservation Science.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Endangered sea turtles show global recovery in new survey
LOS ANGELES - Endangered sea turtles are making a comeback in many parts of the world, according to a newly published global survey. The study, featured in Endangered Species Research, found that threats to the marine animals—such as hunting, pollution, and coastal development—are declining in more than half of the areas examined. Although the findings offer hope, researchers caution that not all turtle populations are rebounding equally. Leatherback turtles, in particular, remain under severe threat. Where are sea turtles recovering—and where are they not? Dig deeper The survey analyzed 48 distinct sea turtle populations worldwide and found that those in the Atlantic Ocean are generally faring better than their counterparts in the Pacific. Species like the green turtle, while still endangered globally, are showing notable signs of recovery—especially in regions like Mexico and the U.S., where protections have been in place for decades. According to Stanford researcher Michelle María Early Capistrán, who co-authored the study, population rebounds are now visible due to longstanding efforts like beach conservation and fishing regulation. "By ending commercial harvests and allowing them time to rebound, their populations are now doing really well" in coastal waters off many regions of Mexico and the U.S., said co-author Michelle María Early Capistrán, a Stanford University researcher who has conducted fieldwork in both countries. The other side Unlike green turtles, leatherback turtles remain critically endangered in many areas. The survey notes that all seven regions where leatherbacks are found face high environmental risks. Bryan Wallace, a wildlife ecologist and co-author of the study, told the AP that leatherbacks' long migratory routes—spanning more than 3,700 miles in some cases—expose them to a broader array of threats, including fishing gear entanglements and changing ocean conditions. He emphasized that while new fishing technologies can help reduce bycatch, they need to be widely adopted by global fishing communities to make a difference. Timeline The recovery of sea turtles has been shaped by decades of conservation policy, with legal protections and international efforts gradually showing results. 1973: Sea turtles are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act 1990: Mexico bans all captures of sea turtles 2025: First major global update on sea turtle populations in over a decade published Researchers say it has taken decades for these protections to yield noticeable population improvements, underscoring the long-term nature of conservation work. What they're saying Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm, who was not involved in the study, told the AP that the findings represent one of the clearest conservation wins to date. "Many of the turtle populations have come back, though some haven't," he said. "Overall, the sea turtle story is one of the real conservation success stories." The Source This article is based on reporting by Christina Larson for the Associated Press. It summarizes findings from a global sea turtle population survey published in the journal Endangered Species Research and includes quotes from scientists interviewed by the AP, including Bryan Wallace, Michelle María Early Capistrán, and Stuart Pimm.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
More than 20 endangered right whales spotted off Cape Cod beach, harbormaster says
It's a magnificent sight you don't see every day. Around 20 to 30 right whales have been spotted off a Cape Cod beach, a local harbormaster said Tuesday. The right whales were seen at Scusset Beach by the Cape Cod Canal, according to the Sandwich Harbormaster. The Environmental Police are trying to rescue one of the whales that may be entangled, the harbormaster said Tuesday. The whales have been there for a couple of days. The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered whales in the world, and only approximately 340 remain, according to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Marine wildlife experts say the right whales are returning to waters off Cape Cod in larger numbers than in previous years. Last month, researchers at the Center for Coastal Studies publicly shared images of 80 of the critically-endangered whales in Cape Cod Bay. The species is protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Canada's Species at Risk Act. For more information about right whale research, click this link here. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers land long-awaited victory after controversial policy gets reversed: 'It's galvanizing'
A full-court press by researchers is playing major dividends in stopping the online ornamental trade of the painted wooly bat. Mongabay reported on recently instituted bans of the trade on both Etsy and eBay as well as promising developments for establishing further protections for the species. Researchers characterized the developments as a "major victory" in an article published by the Cambridge University Press. "It's galvanizing," Joanna Coleman, conservation biologist from the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Bat Specialist Group, told Mongabay. "All of us in the bat-trade working group are really quite thrilled." The timeline of the scientists' efforts stretches back years, but the actual implementation of measures to protect the bats has happened at lightning speed. In 2015, a study indicated that painted wooly bats were threatened by ornamental trade. Five years later, a population assessment indicated a 25% decrease in the species' numbers. That rapid decline prompted the painted wooly bat to be designated by the IUCN as "near threatened." Concerns around bat populations globally are mounting because of an array of factors. Bats are critical to the ecosystem as pollinators and one of nature's most effective means of pest control. For painted wooly bats, native to South and Southeast Asia, their adorable face and bright-colored body make them a target for room decor. Much of the trade flowed to buyers in the United States and on sites like Etsy and eBay. The IUCN Bat Specialist Group began studying the online trade of bats and released a revealing study last year. Hundreds of these bats were getting sold through what the scientists framed as "deceptive sales tactics" by sellers claiming they were sustainably sourced. A public campaign bolstered by coverage in the media and social media activism led to Etsy's and eBay's bans on the species' sales. Moreover, the scientists have a petition to add painted woolly bats to the U.S. Endangered Species Act. They are also leading a push to get the species on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Should the government ban gas stoves? Yes Only in new buildings Only in restaurants No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. While happy with the current trajectory, Coleman's long-term goal is to fully eradicate the practice. "We want to see an end to all ornamental bat trade," Coleman told Mongabay. "It's not a traditional livelihood anywhere to taxidermy a bat and put it in a frame." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
