Defenders of Wildlife Blog

A weekly homage to endangered species, large and small.

Photo courtesy of NOAA

Coral reefs are the ocean’s jungles, teeming with biodiversity unlike anywhere else on the planet. Warm tropical waters create ideal living conditions for coral polyps, the tiny creatures that secrete limestone and thus build the world’s coral reefs. These coral systems are extremely rare, occupying less than one tenth of one percent of Earth’s oceans, yet they contain an estimated 25 percent of all marine species (see wiki citation).

That’s why the rapid decline in health of the world’s coral reefs is so devastating. For example, elkhorn and staghorn corals have declined by 90 percent just in the last 30 years, landing both species on the endangered species list in 2006. And another 82 species are likely to be considered for federal protection under the ESA in the next year. These coral species have been wiped out by disease which has been aggravated by hurricanes, predation, bleaching and the increasingly damaging effects of global warming, which is both raising the temperature and acidity of our oceans.

The loss of coral reefs is not just a conservation concern, however. Hundreds, if not thousands, of businesses on Florida’s southern coast benefit from coral-related tourism. Each year, tourists flock to southern Florida for fishing, diving, snorkeling and boating tours along the coral reefs that add more than $4 billion to the region’s economy. This boom provides an estimated 70,000 jobs with a total payroll of more than $1 billion. (See NOAA report, Socioeconomic Study of Reefs in Southeast Florida)

Healthy coral reefs are the basis of a sustainable fishing industry. Photo courtesy of Krista Schlyer/Defenders of Wildlife

Coral reefs also provide a number of ecosystem services that we are only beginning to fully appreciate. The value of fisheries alone has been estimated to be worth between $15,000 and $150,000 per square kilometer, depending on the type of fish available (see pg. 12 of coral reef management sourcebook). Harder to quantify are the value of storm protection, erosion control and sand replenishment, all provided by coral reefs essentially free of charge. (See UNEP report, In the front line: shoreline protection and other ecosystem services from mangroves and coral reefs.) Without healthy reefs along the coast to dissipate waves and create more sand, the costs of storm damage, beach cleanup and finding more sand would all skyrocket.

The biodiversity along coral reefs is so high that they are also a promising place for pharmaceutical development. These hotbeds of sea life force creatures to eke out a living in close proximity to each other, where the ongoing battle for survival is almost always won by chemical weaponry, creating just the kind of proving ground biochemists dream of. This relatively new field of research is already producing results with the discovery of a potential replacement for the popular cancer drug Taxol—which coincidentally comes from another endangered species, the Pacific yew tree.

Protecting coral reefs ensures that we can continue to probe its makeshift laboratory for miracle cures, provide food and jobs for our families, and maintain our first line of defense against storm damage. Now that’s getting a lot of bang for our buck.

Learn more about the value of coral reefs in Defenders’ report, Conservation Pays: How protecting Endangered and Threatened Species Makes Good Business Sense.

The Value of Conserving Wildlife

by Jamie Rappaport Clark

(This post originally appeared on Huffington Post on October 4, 2011)

Why save a lizard? Who cares about some little fly? What difference does it make if we kill off a few unwanted prairie dogs?

These are fair questions. At a time when nine percent of Americans are unemployed, another seven percent are marginally employed or working only part-time, and millions more are struggling to stay afloat, protecting obscure endangered species probably isn’t the first thing on people’s minds. But that doesn’t mean we should turn our backs on the countless species, large and small, that still need our help.

Nearly 40 years ago, our government made a commitment in the form of the Endangered Species Act to preserve all native wildlife for the benefit of future generations. And since that time the Act has been 99 percent effective in preventing the extinction of the plants and animals it protects. But tragically, Congress is preparing to use our current economic crisis as an excuse to abandon America’s commitment to preventing extinction.

Before the August recess, no fewer than 13 different proposals had been introduced to limit the federal government’s ability to protect endangered species (see Assault on Wildlife: The Endangered Species Act Under Attack). Since Congress returned from recess, another four have been added to the list, and more will no doubt surface long before a comprehensive funding bill is finally passed this fall.

At the center of nearly all of these attacks on our landmark wildlife conservation law is the implicit argument that saving imperiled plants and animals is simply a luxury we can no longer afford. Some members of Congress are taking it a step further, exploiting our country’s very real financial difficulties by pinning job losses on endangered species protections. Of course, this sham calculus disguises the fact that many of these politicians rely on certain big corporate interests hostile to the Endangered Species Act to line their campaign coffers.

Despite the protestations of anti-wildlife politicians, there are very good reasons to protect a lizard, or a fly or a prairie dog. Though they may seem trivial, these animals are an integral part of the web of life that sustains us all. Lizards control insect pests and provide food for hawks. Flies feed reptiles and can help pollinate crops. Prairie dogs mow down prairie grasses, reducing risk of wildfire, and they provide food for ferrets, badgers and owls. What’s more, by fighting to save these species, we are preserving the vitality of the entire ecosystems that they inhabit.

Madagascar periwinkle

There are also practical reasons for saving as many imperiled species as we can. The ESA acknowledges the direct link between maintaining biodiversity and our own well-being. For example, one economist has estimated that America’s plants and animals provide us with “ecosystem services” (such as erosion control, flood protection, air and water filtration, sedimentation, carbon sequestration, providing nutrients, crop pollination, etc.) totaling $33 trillion per year. Plants like the Pacific yew tree, Madagascar periwinkle and mamala tree have all led to promising treatments for diseases like cancer, leukemia and AIDS. And expenditures for wildlife-related recreation accounted for more than $122 billion in 2006 — about one percent of our GDP.

What doesn’t show up on the ledger though is the value of upholding the principles of good stewardship. The great conservationist Aldo Leopold once wrote, “The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant, ‘What good is it?’ If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not.”

We should ask ourselves instead, what will be left when all the lizards, and flies and prairie dogs are gone? What will happen to our lakes and forests, our deserts and oceans, our rivers and prairies, when fewer and fewer living creatures call them home? If we allow piecemeal changes now to our most important environmental laws, what else might politicians find inconvenient to protect?

The attacks on America’s great conservation legacy may seem small and insignificant. But each one tugs at a thread that could unravel the entire fabric of the great safety net we have built over four decades. Killing off a few lizards or flies or prairie dogs isn’t going to rescue our flailing economy. But it could very well ruin us all.

Black-footed ferrets search prairie dog tunnels for food.

A weekly homage to endangered species, large and small

The world wouldn’t be the same without BFFs. But we’re not talking about “best friends forever”. We’re talking about black-footed ferrets—a key indicator species in prairie ecosystems across the United States and one of the most endangered mammals in the world.

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of the ferret’s rediscovery. The celebration is a chance to reflect on their amazing success story and the importance of the Endangered Species Act (ESA)—our nation’s landmark wildlife conservation law. Without the ESA, we might not have any BFFs at all, not to mention bald eagles, gray wolves, or many of the treasured species that have been preserved and restored under its protection.

Check out all of the events celebrating 30 years of rediscovery and reintroduction for the black-footed ferret.

• September 24-25: Celebration at Phoenix Zoo (Phoenix, AZ) includes live black-footed ferret display and children’s programs.
• September 24-26: “Badlands 30th Anniversary Ferret Festival.” Hosted by Badlands National Park at Park Headquarters, Interior, SD. Park admission. Children’s programs, live ferret, public spotlighting by reservation, education programs and more.
• September 26: Celebrate at National Zoological Park, Washington DC. Seminars and other black-footed ferret programs.
• Many more.

 For A full list of scheduled programs, visit Black-footedferret.org

Don’t Call It a Comeback

Like many endangered species, ferrets have lost significant territory to agricultural development. Black-footed ferrets are one of three remaining ferret species in the world and the only wild ferret species that lives in North America. They can grow up to 2-feet long and weigh more than 2.5 pounds. Although they appear similar, domestic ferrets (found in pet stores) are members of a separate species from Europe.

Black-footed ferret

As settlers moved west in North America, they began to reshape the lands inhabited by black-footed ferrets. With the invention of the plow, native prairieland was converted into farmland. Prairie dogs (which make up about 90 percent of black-footed ferrets’ diets) were reduced to about two percent of their historic population due to poisoning by farmers who considered them a nuisance. With their major food source becoming scarce, the future for the black-footed ferret seemed increasingly hopeless. In 1967 they were listed as an endangered species. Still, faced with persistent habitat loss and new diseases including sylvatic plague, black-footed ferret populations continued to dwindle. In 1979 when the last remaining captive ferret died at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, MD, the black-footed ferret was declared extinct.

However, in 1981 a small population of the black-footed ferret was discovered in Meeteetse, Wyoming. Dedicated conservationists jumped on the opportunity to help the species survive and recover. Seven of the captured ferrets successfully reared young, and, through captive breeding and reintroduction, 19 populations have been reestablished in Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Kansas, New Mexico, Chihuahua and Saskatchewan.

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that about 750 ferrets now live in the wild (half of the population goal outlined in the 1988 Black-footed Ferret Recovery Plan).

WHAT GOOD ARE THEY?

The success of the ferret is good news for the prairie. The Great Plains are home to more than 20,000 animal species including more than 100 that are found nowhere else in the world like the black-footed ferret. The ferrets are key indicators of healthy ecosystems as they help manage prairie dog populations. The ferrets themselves are a food source for larger predators like owls, coyote and badgers. They are important members of the ecosystem both as predators and prey on the prairie.

Today, black-footed ferrets continue on the road to recovery, but the journey is far from over. These animals once numbered in the tens of thousands and now number only a few hundred. Even the laws that helped save the ferrets face challenges.

Government agencies and conservation groups, in cooperation with private landowners and communities helped restore the small predators to their rightful habitat under the protection and guidance of the ESA. Unfortunately, there are new legislative proposals to undercut current endangered species protections and prevent protection of imperiled species in the future.

It will take continuous efforts to help the black-footed ferret achieve long term sustainability and even more resolve to help other species reach similar success through an Endangered Species Act that has itself been threatened.

Learn more about black-footed ferrets:

• Black-Footed Ferret Fact Sheet
• Check out Defenders Work to save ferret habitat
• Download this sweet ferret poster and share it with your friends to show your support for endangered wildlife. Help us celebrate the big 3-0!

Click to Download Report (PDF)

WASHINGTON (Sept. 1, 2011) – When members of Congress return next week, they could consider at least 13 different legislative proposals to undercut endangered species protections, according to a comprehensive report released today by Defenders of Wildlife. Assault on Wildlife: The Endangered Species Act Under Attack details current legislative attacks on America’s plants and animals and assesses how each one would eviscerate wildlife conservation efforts. Existing proposals include:

• rolling back vital safeguards for California’s precarious Bay Delta ecosystem,
• making it easier for polluters to poison waterways with toxic pesticides, and
• blocking protections for species on the brink of extinction such as the Mexican gray wolf.

Taken together, these attacks would undermine nearly four decades of success under the Endangered Species Act and go back on our nation’s commitment to preserving our wildlife heritage for future generations.

The new report also compiles campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry and major agribusinesses for key members of Congress who have been leading the anti-wildlife crusade. A group of just nine legislators has collectively received more than $5.9 million throughout their careers from Big Oil and Big Ag, calling into question the motivation of their alleged “pro-business” agenda.

While some of the proposed anti-wildlife legislative measures were briefly debated earlier in the year, many could be tucked into larger, must-pass spending bills similar to the controversial “wolf rider” included in the most recent continuing budget resolution. Without strong, persistent opposition from Congress, pending provisions will be negotiated behind closed doors and may never face public scrutiny until it’s too late. The report implores concerned citizens to remain vigilant and demonstrate their continued support for protecting America’s imperiled wildlife, even before the attacks are formalized.

The following is a statement from Jamie Rappaport Clark, executive vice president of Defenders of Wildlife:

“America’s wildlife is seemingly under attack from every direction. Never before have I seen this unprecedented level of disregard for our country’s most imperiled plants and animals. We made a commitment as a nation nearly 40 years ago to preserve our incredible wildlife heritage for our kids and grandkids, but now Congress is getting ready to go back on its word.

“This report should serve as a wake-up call for all Americans. It’s a reminder that we must fight to protect the entire web of life that supports us all and defend it from those who seek to benefit from its destruction. We cannot allow Congress to trade away essential safeguards that not only ensure the survival of at-risk species, but that also provide clean air, clean water and abundant natural resources for all Americans long into the future. Politicians shouldn’t be meddling with our most successful and forward-thinking wildlife conservation law. It’s time to tell them: hands off the ESA!”

Background:
In July, Defenders and its conservation allies led a successful effort to oppose the so-called “extinction rider” that would have blocked protections for more than 260 species awaiting protection under the Endangered Species Act. Read more at www.defenders.org/opposeextinction.

In April, Congress passed (and the Obama administration approved) a provision to strip federal protections for endangered gray wolves in the Northern Rockies, setting a dangerous precedent for further legislative action. Read more at www.defenders.org/nrwolves.

Download the full report

Read Defenders’ blog series Can’t Live Without ‘Em, which highlights the benefits of protecting endangered species large and small.

Wolverines were just one of the 260+ species that would have been denied protections had the 'Extinction Rider' passed.

Now that Congress is on recess until after Labor Day, it’s a good time to take stock of what has happened so far this session and,  more important, what battles are still to come.

Since the mid-term elections last fall, the 112^th Congress has introduced, debated and held hearings on at least 13 different provisions that would undermine protections for our nation’s endangered plants and animals. That doesn’t even count all the other awful anti-environmental legislation that would indirectly harm wildlife by fouling our air and water, depleting our natural resources and sacrificing our public lands.

The attacks on the Endangered Species Act—one of our nation’s most successful and forward-thinking environmental laws—have taken many forms. From barring protections for particular species to sweeping changes to how the law can be applied, these assaults strike at the very foundation of the law and thus our country’s great commitment to conserving all species for the benefit of future generations of Americans.

But even amidst all these attacks, there have been important victories. Just a few weeks ago, with the help of wildlife champions in the U.S. House of Representatives on both sides of the aisle and our supporters across the country, we were able to defeat the so-called “Extinction Rider.” This provision of the Interior appropriations bill would have blocked life-saving protections for more than 260 species that could be headed for extinction.

Peregrine falcons have made a tremendous comeback as a result of the Endangered Species Act.

Defeating the extinction rider was a major milestone for wildlife conservation and showed that there is still strong, bipartisan support for upholding the ESA and saving imperiled species from extinction. It is the first real win for the environmental community during this Congress, and one of just a few in the last several years.

Yet the fight is not over. While Congress is not likely to take up the rider-riddled Interior appropriations bill again, many of those damaging provisions could still get rolled into a larger omnibus appropriations bill or continuing budget resolution. We saw it happen last year with the wolf rider, and it could easily happen again.

Once closed-door negotiations begin, there’s little we can do to oppose bad environmental provisions until it’s too late. What’s worse, policy riders are often added without any public debate, short-circuiting our opportunity to weigh in.

That’s why it’s so important for all of us to take a stand now and hold our elected leaders accountable FROM THE START. We will be working hard in the coming months to make sure that no bad riders are included in budget bills, even before negotiations begin. And we need you to do your and tell Congress not to sell out America’s imperiled wildlife. Help us carry this message to Capitol Hill: HANDS OFF THE ESA!

Note: The Extinction Rider referenced in this column is likely to be on voted on in the House of Representatives today or tomorrow.

Jeff Corwin at Defenders Annual Dinner 2009. Photo courtesy of Scott Robinson

GUEST OPINION

By Jeff Corwin, Defenders’ board member and MSNBC science correspondent

Throughout my life, I have stared extinction in the face. In the eyes of the polar bear and her cub that I darted and tagged in Alaska. In the hazel eyes of the red wolf as I released her in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge to join the last 100 in the wild. And in the eyes of the majestic condor that I held to my chest, one of just 321 in existence.

These creatures are among the 1,973 animals and plants that make up a list none ever want to be on–the list of threatened and endangered species.  Unfortunately, there are 264 other species that are literally dying to get on this list.  But they may never make it.

Why? Because Congress is playing Russian roulette with our nation’s imperiled wildlife.  Congressman Simpson of Idaho has included a provision in a funding bill, which has already passed out of committee, which could seal the fate of species sliding toward extinction.  Dubbed the ‘Extinction Rider,’ this provision would put a freeze on placing any more of these imperiled animals and plants on the list of endangered species, putting the brakes on providing them with the life-saving protections they need to survive.

This is a dangerous step for Congress to take.  Many species have been in a sort of hospital waiting room for years after being placed on the candidate list.  That means that the government experts believe there is substantial scientific data that proves the species is in jeopardy, but they don’t have the resources to put them on the endangered species list or send them to the hospital to recover.  Now, Congress is preparing to kick them out of the waiting room, sending them home to fend for themselves.  Sorry, the hospital is closed. Don’t expect any help here.

This is shocking on so many levels.  Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 to protect our treasured wildlife from extinction.  It placed the responsibility for protections with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, so that wildlife experts could make appropriate decisions on how to manage species based on the latest science.  For nearly 40 years, our nation has protected the most vulnerable of our wildlife and celebrated our successes.  Many Americans like me were filled with pride when the bald eagle recovered to the point of being taken off the endangered species list.  In California, tax payers are donating funds on their state tax form to support sea otter conservation, to the tune of over a million dollars.  Tourists flock to Yellowstone to get a glimpse of the recovered gray wolf.  Young students in Florida raise money to purchase lands around their school to protect the Florida scrub jay.

But now, Congress is seriously considering turning its back on our nation’s commitment to protecting our most vulnerable wildlife.  By issuing a moratorium on new listings, we could lose countless animals and plants.  Animals such as the wolverine, whose population is declining due to the loss of snow pack to hibernate and raise its young. The red knot, whose migration route from the tip of South American to the Arctic each year is one of the longest migrations on the planet, and is being decimated by the overharvest of horse shoe crabs in the Delaware Bay, a critical food source to get them to the Arctic to breed each year. And numerous species of bats are taking a nose dive due to the deadly white nose syndrome, but are critical to controlling the insect population.

What is Congress thinking?  Have they no pride in the successes we have achieved? Do they not understand the role that so many species play on this planet… from the insects that pollinate our crops to the medicinal value of plants.   Have they no commitment to ensuring that we leave this planet a better place for our children and grandchildren?

I have seen the power of people to destroy and save wildlife.  Now Congress has placed that power in its own hands.  Members of Congress have a choice to make.  And they need to take it seriously.  Extinction is forever.  There is no do-over.  Hopefully, members of Congress will be able to look their own children in the eye and tell them they did the right thing for them and for their country and continued the commitment we made nearly 40 years ago to be heroes and to save our nation’s treasured wildlife for generations to come.

Short Bio:

Jeff Corwin has worked for the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems around the globe. He is the host of a variety of popular television shows, including Animal Planet’s Jeff Corwin Experience, Corwin’s Quest, Giant Monsters, Spring Watch, and King of the Jungle; Disney’s Going Wild with Jeff Corwin; Investigation Earth with the Discovery Networks; NBC’s Jeff Corwin Unleashed, and the Travel Channel’s Into Alaska and Into the American West.   Jeff powerful book and MSNBC documentary 100 Heartbeats investigate the plight of our planet’s most endangered wildlife species along with the conservation heroes trying to save them. He is presently the correspondent for science and the environment for MSNBC and host of Extreme Cuisine with Jeff Corwin on the Food Network. His latest endeavor is Ocean Mysteries, which is a television series focusing on our planets oceans and marine species. It begins broadcasting on ABC this fall. Mr. Corwin is a member of Defenders’ executive board of directors.