An international union of conservation groups and governments has determined gopher tortoises are more at risk of extinction than ever before. The U.S. government does not agree.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature revised the animal’s status from “vulnerable” to “critically endangered,” and said its facing an extremely high risk of extinction.
Growth has reduced the tortoise’s longleaf pine habitat to less than 3 percent of its original expanse. The tortoises are also facing invasive species, new diseases, and a fragmentation of their populations.
Florida lists the gopher tortoise as threatened species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service classifies the animal as threatened, but only in Louisiana, Mississippi and western Alabama.
At the same time the conservation of nature union declared the gopher tortoises’ status more dire, the Trump Administration removed habitat protections for endangered species.
Environmentalists say the decision will allow for the destruction of places endangered animals need to live, eat, and reproduce.
“Habitat destruction is the number one threat to endangered,” Tara Zuardo, of the Center for Biological Diversity, said. “If animals don’t have a place to live, they can’t live. Spotted owls, Atlantic salmon, Florida panthers and thousands of other species need protections for the wild places where they make their homes.”
Zuardo said the prohibition on habitat destruction has been pivotal to protecting endangered species and was upheld by the Supreme Court in a case that focused on the protection of old-growth forests for spotted owls. In ignoring this precedent, the Trump administration is opening the door for industries of all kinds to destroy the natural world and drive wildlife to extinction in the process.
“There’s no question that destroying the places endangered species call home will harm them,” Zuardo said. “Scientists from around the world are warning we’re in an extinction crisis. Pretending this crisis doesn’t exist won’t make it go away.”
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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