U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes removal of 23 endangered species due to extinction
HENDY WOODS, MENDOCINO COUNTY, CA - 2000: The majestic redwood trees of Hendy Woods State Park are viewed from below in this 2000 Mendocino County, California, photo. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, Fla. - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing the removal of 23 species from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) due to extinction.
In a news release, the agency said "the purpose of the ESA is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. For the species proposed for delisting today, the protections of the ESA came too late, with most either extinct, functionally extinct, or in steep decline at the timing of listing."
Species being proposed for delisting include the ivory-billed woodpecker, Bachman’s warbler, two species of freshwater fishes, eight species of Southeastern freshwater mussels and 11 species from Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands.
FULL LIST OF 23 SPECIES
The news release went on to say, "These species extinctions highlight the importance of the ESA and efforts to conserve species before declines become irreversible. The circumstances of each also underscore how human activity can drive species decline and extinction, by contributing to habitat loss, overuse and the introduction of invasive species and disease. The growing impacts of climate change are anticipated to further exacerbate these threats and their interactions. They also underscore ongoing conservation challenges of the Service. Almost 3 billion birds have been lost in North America since 1970. These extinctions highlight the need to take action to prevent further losses."