“‘With climate change wreaking havoc across the globe, human pollution has caused the recent extinction of 22 animals and one plant,’ as announced by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.”
--Holly Young, 8th Grade
The US Fish and Wildlife Service recently removed 23 species from the endangered species list and instead, named them extinct. These 22 animals and one plant have been on the list since the 1960s and were thought to have a slim chance of survival. After decades of searching however, naturalists have given up.
This announcement has started a 3 month comment period before the list is finalized and several scientists say that these species could reappear. With that possibility, one of the leaders in the search for the Ivory-billed woodpecker said that this was a premature decision, especially with the millions of dollars in funding they have already spent.
Only 11 species have been removed due to extinction in the 50 years since the Endangered Species Act, before now.
The unfortunate species are:
- Bachman’s warbler
- Bridled white-eye (bird)
- Flat pigtoe mussel
- Green-blossom pearly mussel
- Ivory-billed woodpecker
- Kauai akialoa (bird)
- Kauai nukupuu (bird)
- Kauaʻi ʻōʻō (bird)
- Large Kauai thrush (bird)
- Little Mariana fruit bat
- Maui ākepa (bird)
- Maui nukupuʻu (bird)
- Molokai creeper (bird)
- Phyllostegia glabra var. lanaiensis (plant)
- Po`ouli (bird)
- San Marcos gambusia(fish)
- Scioto madtom (fish)
- Southern acornshell mussel
- Stirrupshell mussel
- Tubercled-blossom pearly mussel
- Turgid-blossom pearly mussel
- Upland combshell mussel
- Yellow-blossom pearly mussel
There are many reasons why these animals went extinct, whether the cause is deforestation, water pollution, invasive species, and overhunting and no matter how much they vary, humans were the ultimate cause.
Even without that, climate change is also making recovery that much harder. With serious droughts, floods, hurricanes, etc, species are finding it much more difficult to make a comeback when the environment is working against them.
Extinction and climate change should not be inevitable. But, what can we do? There are many organizations that are working towards a more sustainable and wildlife friendly world.
- World Wildlife Fund
- National Wildlife Federation
- American Wildlife Conservation Foundation
- Environmental Defense Fund
- 350
https://350.org/
