The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is proposing to remove 23 species from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) due to extinction, according to the Department of Interior (DOI).
The ESA aims to protect species and their ecosystems from becoming extinct. For the 23 proposed to be removed, ESA protections came too late with most either extinct, functionally extinct or in steep decline at the time of their listing, the DOI said in a Sept. 29 release.
“With climate change and natural area loss pushing more and more species to the brink, now is the time to lift up proactive, collaborative and innovative efforts to save America's wildlife,” Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland said.
Despite these losses, there has been some success in saving wildlife. The ESA is credited with successfully preventing 99% of species listed from extinction.
“The Endangered Species Act has been incredibly effective at preventing species from going extinct and has also inspired action to conserve at-risk species and their habitat before they need to be listed as endangered or threatened,” Haaland said.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s "America the Beautiful" initiative has led efforts to conserve and restore 30% of the country’s land and water by 2030, the release states.
“We will continue to ensure that states, tribes, private landowners and federal agencies have the tools they need to conserve America’s biodiversity and natural heritage,” Haaland said.
The public is invited to submit comments on the delisting proposals before Nov. 29; requests for a public hearing must be in by Nov. 15, according to the Federal Register.
Among the species considered for delisting are pearly mussels, the flat pigtoe, the little Mariana fruit bat and the honeycreeper. A full list can be found on the Federal Register.
Nearly 3 billion birds have been lost in North America since 1970, highlighting the need to prevent future losses, the release said. While in the past, 54 species have been delisted following recovery, it may be too late for these 23 species, found all over the United States.
