WASHINGTON – The federal government should help ensure the future of the Florida black bear by applying the resources available under the Endangered Species Act, according to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of conservation and animal welfare organizations today. Defenders of Wildlife, The Fund for Animals, and Sierra Club challenged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision not to list the critically imperiled Florida black bear under the Endangered Species Act.
The Florida black bear historically inhabited all of Florida and parts of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, but today the Florida black bear occupies just one-quarter of its former range. More than 12,000 bears once inhabited the State of Florida alone, a number that had shrunk to 1,200 in the late 1990s. The primary threat to the Florida black bear is habitat loss caused by urbanization and sprawling development. Over 20 acres of wildlife habitat are lost to development every hour in Florida, one of the most rapidly urbanizing states in the nation. With destruction of the black bear's forested habitat expected to accelerate in coming years, management under the Endangered Species Act will help the people of Florida recover a valuable part of their wildlife heritage.
"Florida's black bears are an important part of the state's wildlife heritage and a key indicator of the health of Florida's remaining wild places," said Laurie Macdonald, Florida Director for Defenders of Wildlife.
"The decision not to list bears under the Endangered Species Act means that entire populations of bears in Florida could be pushed to extinction in the foreseeable future," said Jonathon R. Lovvorn, Vice President of Animal Protection Litigation for The Humane Society of the United States. "Federal protection is necessary to save these populations, and ensure that bears have meaningful protections from a multitude of threats, including habitat loss, poaching, and even future trophy hunts."
Conserving the Florida black bear under the Endangered Species Act would bring more money and resources to Florida to protect the bear and a new range of private landowner conservation options. The listing would allow for the leverage of additional money and manpower to help landowners, state and federal agencies and Floridians restore healthy populations of this important part of the state's natural heritage so that they can be enjoyed by present and future generations.
"Florida alone doesn't have the power or the resources to adequately restore the black bear, and we need federal help to conserve this valuable resource," said Macdonald. "We look forward to working with local, state and federal government and wildlife officials to make the Endangered Species Act work here in Florida for the black bear just as it has to restore the bald eagle, brown pelican, alligator and other wildlife."
The effort to secure Endangered Species Act protections for the Florida black bear began in 1990. In 2001, these groups won a court order overturning a 1998 USFWS decision in which the agency denied listing under the act. The agency's subsequent decision to again deny federal protections, made on Christmas Eve 2003, is the subject of this lawsuit. The agency claims that regulatory mechanisms and habitat protection afforded by other agencies, existing in 1998, are sufficient to protect the bear. Florida, however, has since reduced the amount of money for conservation lands under the state land acquisition program and adopted a state Endangered and Threatened Species Act that could reduce protections for bears. At the same time, the Army Corps of Engineers has fast-tracked thousands of development projects in recent years, many of them within black bear habitat. Thus, the groups argue it is crucial that USFWS reconsider its listing decision based upon current regulatory mechanisms that affect the bear.
The plaintiffs are represented in the case by Meyer Glitzenstein & Crystal, a public interest law firm in Washington, D.C.
Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 500,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues.
The HSUS is the nation's largest animal protection organization with more than 9.5 million members and constituents. The HSUS and The Fund for Animals joined forces and combined their operations in January 2005. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research and farm animals and sustainable agriculture. The HSUS protects all animals through education, advocacy, litigation, investigation, legislation and fieldwork. The non-profit organization is based in Washington, DC and has regional offices across the country. On the Web at www.hsus.org.
