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Guardians of the Wild Land and the wildlife coalition filed a lawsuit challenging Trump administration denial of protection decision for endangered wolverines under Endangered Species Act. This is the second time US Fisheries and Wildlife Service prioritizes policy over science for the wolverine, whose number 300 in the contiguous United States.
The groups involved in the lawsuit defeated the Service in court in 2016 after the Service abruptly revoked a proposed rule that the wolverine population in the lower 48 states is listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act. The court ordered the agency to return to the drawing board with a directive to apply the best scientific knowledge in assessing the protection needed for a wolverine. Four years later, the Service returned with the same decision to deny protection status to wolverine, despite the lack of new scientific support for such a definition.
A recent complaint seeks to ensure that the Service uses the best scientific knowledge available in its listing decisions, and to ensure that wolverines are given the protective status they desperately need and deserve.
“In the face of a clear biodiversity crisis and mass extinction, endangered species now need quick and coordinated protection from the federal government more than ever,” said Lindsay Larris, director of WildEarth Guardians. statement. “According to clear scientific evidence, wolverines, like many other hunted predators, remain under threat. Relying on partial control of state wildlife agencies for the survival of the wolverine due to political pressure is not enough to recover and is against both science and law. ”
In April 2016, a federal judge sided with conservationists, agreeing that the Service’s August 2014 decision not to include the wolverine on the endangered list was “arbitrary and capricious” and contradicted the scientific literature. In its strong opinion, the court clearly stated that “it does not take more certainty to see the writing on the wall that this species is right in the path of global climate change. It took us twenty years to achieve this. In the court’s view, if one thing is required of the Service, it is to take action as soon as possible and within a reasonable time frame to safeguard against biodiversity loss within our reach as a nation. It’s time for the wolverine. “
“This is another chapter in this administration’s war on science,” said Matthew Bishop, an attorney at Western Center for Environmental Law, and a coalition legal counsel. “Public records show that the Service decided not to protect the wolverines from day one, and then worked backwards to figure out how to keep that decision. This is truly unfortunate. “
Before deciding to deny protection to endangered wolverines, the Service identified climate change, coupled with small populations, as the primary threat to the species in the United States.
The wolverine feeds on snow all year round. Thanks to its large paws, it can easily navigate the snow. Snow also acts as a “freezer”, allowing the wolverine to store and collect food. One study found that 98% of all wolverine lairs are found in areas with persistent snow cover.
Published peer-reviewed research, Society for the Conservation of Biology, shows that most of the experts reviewing the decision and the Service’s own biologists have confirmed this conclusion.
“This is what we really hoped to avoid following the 2016 court ruling,” Bishop said. “I was cautiously optimistic that the Service would do the right thing this time around and we would focus our time and energy on developing a conservation strategy, recovery plan, critical habitats, and possibly efforts to reintroduce wolverine. Instead, we’re in court again, challenging an agency that continues to put politics above science. ”
The coalition filing the claim includes: Guardians of the Wild Land, Friends of Bitterroot, Wild Swan Friends, Swan View Coalition, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Cottonwood Environmental Law Center, George Wurtner, Footloose montana, Council of Indigenous Ecosystems, Wildlands Network, Helena Hunters and Anglers Association… The coalition is represented Western Center for Environmental Law.
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The “New Lawsuit” message, aimed at protecting the last 300 wolverines that remain in the adjoining United States from the USFWS, first appeared in World Animal News.
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