US Fish & Wildlife Service declares 23 species extinct

A statement released by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Wednesday 29 September proposed to delist 23 species from the Endangered Species Act 1973 as they are considered extinct. Per the statement, “[s]pecies being proposed for delisting include the ivory-billed woodpecker, Bachman’s warbler, two species of freshwater fishes, eight species of Southeastern freshwater mussels and eleven species from Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands.”

The Endangered Species Act aims to protect “imperilled species” and their ecosystems. Most of the species proposed for delisting were said to have been “either functionally extinct, or in steep decline at the time of listing”. The Principal Deputy Director, Martha Williams was quoted saying “The Endangered Species Act has been incredibly successful at both preventing extinctions” of more than 99% species listed (1418 animals and 942 plants according to FWS). Since 1973, a total of 54 species have been delisted due to recovery and 56 downlisted from endangered to threatened.

A comment from Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the Centre for Biological Diversity, stated while the Endnagered Species Act “is the most powerful tool [the US has] to end extinction”, the US Fish and Wildlife Service “badly needs to reform its process for protecting species to avoid further extinctions, and it needs the funding to do so.” The proposed delisting of 23 species due to extinction clearly indicate that climate change (and loss of natural habitats) are areas of concern for the protection of animals, and legislators and politicians should be acting immediately.

Source: FWS Statement