Posts Tagged ‘Protection’

Appeals Court Denies Challenge to Congressional Rider Stripping Protection From Northern Rocky Mountain Wolves

Posted by admin on March 15th, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO— The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday denied a challenge brought by the Center for Biological Diversity and its partners to a congressional budget rider than stripped Endangered Species Act protections from wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains. A three-judge panel rejected the conservation organizations’ argument that the rider is unconstitutional because it violates the separation-of-powers doctrine.


“Congress set a terrible precedent by passing this backdoor rider that took away protection from wolves. Scientists, not politicians, need to decide which species need protection ,” said Michael Robinson, a wolf expert at the Center. “ That’s the law. And that’s what makes sense if we’re going to save animals and plants from extinction .”


The rider marked the first time Congress has removed a plant or animal from the endangered species list. The rider directed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reissue a rule removing federal protections from northern Rocky Mountain wolves, despite ongoing litigation over the lawfulness of that delisting rule.


Today’s ruling holds that the rider is constitutional because it amends the Endangered Species Act by exempting the delisting rule from all law. The panel rejected arguments by conservation groups that Congress violated the separation-of-powers doctrine because the rider blocked judicial review and ordered an outcome, in ongoing litigation, without clearly amending the Endangered Species Act, effectively negating the role of the judiciary. 


“We will continue to fight the good fight on behalf of wolves across the country,” said Robinson. “These incredible animals deserve a shot at recovery beyond just the few pockets where they eke out a living today.”


 


After


Endangered Species Act protections lifted in April 2010, the state of Idaho authorized hunting and trapping seasons with no limit on how many wolves can be killed and committed to maintain only 150 wolves out of an estimated population of at least 1,000. Montana set a hunting quota of 220 wolves with a goal of reducing the population by 25 percent. In Oregon, where the wolf population includes just two dozen or so wolves, state wildlife officials killed two wolves last year and planned to kill two more, but have been temporarily stopped by a state lawsuit filed by the Center and others. 


“Wolves have been an integral part of North American landscapes for millions of years and are cherished, iconic animals that deserve a future in this country,” said Robinson. “ If we want to keep wilderness alive in America, we need to keep our wolves .”

Contact Info: Michael Robinson, (575) 313-7017

Website : Center for Biological Diversity

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89 Conservation Groups, 97 Scientists Oppose Proposed Obama Policy Reducing Protection for Endangered Species

Posted by admin on March 12th, 2012

WASHINGTON— In separate letters, 89 conservation groups and 97 scientists have expressed opposition to a proposed Obama administration policy that would sharply limit protection for the nation’s imperiled wildlife by reinterpreting a key phrase in the Endangered Species Act that determines when plants and animals qualify for protection. Conservation groups opposing the policy include the Center for Biological Diversity, Endangered Species Coalition, Earthjustice and the Humane Society of the United States.


“This policy is like ignoring an injured patient in the emergency room and jumping into action only when he’s at death’s door,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “If this policy had been in place when the Endangered Species Act was passed, the bald eagle would never have been protected in any of the lower 48 states, because there were still a lot of eagles up in Alaska.”


Under the Act, an endangered species is defined as any “in danger of extinction in all or a significant of portion of its range.” The phrase “significant portion of range” is important, because it means that a species need not be at risk of extinction everywhere it lives to receive protection. The proposed Obama policy reinterprets this phrase by defining “significant” to mean that loss of the species from that portion of range would threaten the survival of the species, creating a much higher threshold for imperiled wildlife to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. It also limits consideration of whether species are endangered in portions of their range to only where they currently exist and not their historic range — effectively pretending species have not already experienced massive losses from which they need to recover.


“This wrong-headed proposal strikes at the very heart of the Endangered Species Act, which was enacted to conserve the ecosystems on which imperiled species depend,” said Patrick Paranteau, a law professor at the Vermont Law School. “Instead of conserving ecosystems for their biological and economic values, this policy would promote fragmentation and degradation, driving more and more species to the brink of extinction. This is bad science, bad law and bad policy.”


In addition to the two letters sent Thursday, March 8, the proposed policy has come under extensive criticism. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee, criticized the policy in a Jan. 26 letter to the director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, saying the policy sets the bar for listing declining species “at much too high a threshold” and that it is inconsistent with Congress’ original intent for the Endangered Species Act. Separately the Society for Conservation Biology, the primary scientific body concerned with loss of species, submitted extensive comments criticizing the policy. 


The reasoning of the proposed policy has already been used to deny protection to the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl, even though the rare bird is at risk of being lost in the entirety of the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Mexico. In draft findings developed prior to the development of the policy, the agency recommended the pygmy owl receive protection, but following development of the proposed policy it reversed course and denied the animal protection.  


“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has long been criticized for only protecting species on the very brink of extinction, which makes recovery a difficult uphill slog,” said Greenwald. “This policy would actually codify that approach, essentially saying: ‘Let’s delay protection for these creatures until they’re in absolutely dire straits.’ ”

Contact Info: Noah Greenwald, Center for Biological Diversity, (503) 484-7495

Patrick Parenteau, Vermont Law School, (802) 831-1305

Website : Center for Biological Diversity

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National Consumer Protection Week

Posted by admin on March 6th, 2012

Every day, we make important decisions about finances, health, privacy, technology and more. Look through the categories listed on the right for resources that will help you make your best choices.

Ordering publications for National Consumer Protection Week?
Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.

FTC Bulk Order Site @ FTC.gov/Bulkorder

Order free copies of brochures, bookmarks, videos and booklets, on a wide variety of consumer protection topics.  The content is copyright-free, so you can customize it to fit your organization’s needs, and share it with the people you know.

FDA’s Health Fraud Scam Video

At this very minute someone is falling for a health fraud scam. They target all of us with promises of quick and painless cures. They waste money and can lead to delays in getting the proper diagnosis and treatment. Watch this video and learn how to recognize and avoid health fraud scams.

USA.gov Updates: News and Features

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presents the “M-vironment Framework,’ a mobile telephony platform which can help enable financial sustainability for environmental protection efforts; facilitate awareness-raising and exchange of information; strengthen early warning systems; raise environmental consciousness among ICT solutions providers; create employment; and protect livelihoods.

Posted by admin on March 2nd, 2012


presents the “M-vironment Framework,” a mobile telephony platform which can help enable financial sustainability for environmental protection efforts; facilitate awareness-raising and exchange of information; strengthen early warning systems; raise environmental consciousness among ICT solutions providers; create employment; and protect livelihoods.


Authors:
W. Mungai



Publisher:
[publisher information not available], 2005

This paper seeks to identify the policy implications of the development of the information society on the attainment of sustainable development goals in Kenya. The paper is premised on the belief that “sustainable development can best be advanced in the Information Society when ICT-related efforts and programs are fully integrated in national and regional development strategies and informed by existing
research on the linkages between sustainable development and the information society. In relation to national development priorities in Kenya, the paper seeks to clarify the implications of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) that aims to “make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications technologies”3 and forms the basis for the new ICTs for development approach anchored on MDG-based poverty reduction strategies.

Environment

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Feds Plan to Strip Endangered Species Act Protection From Gray Wolves Across United States

Posted by admin on March 2nd, 2012

Portland, Ore.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday recommended removing federal protections from gray wolves that remain on the endangered species list after wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains and upper Midwest had their protections stripped last year. The move could be devastating to wolf recovery. Fish and Wildlife conceded it will still consider protection for subspecies or breeding populations (including Mexican gray wolves, a recognized subspecies) and for populations in the Pacific Northwest and Northeast; its recommendation came in a five-year review of the Endangered Species Act listing for gray wolves in the lower 48.


“The agency’s saying protection for wolves should be taken away from them anywhere they don’t live right now, even if they lived there for thousands of years before we exterminated them and even if those places are still good habitat for them,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which has worked for decades to restore wolves. “If this approach had been taken with, say, bald eagles, we’d never have recovered eagles across much of the Midwest, Southeast or Northeast, where they didn’t exist when they were protected. This is a frightening example of the Fish and Wildlife Service abandoning the recovery mandate of the Endangered Species Act.”


According to the agency, ongoing status reviews of Mexican wolves, northwestern wolves and eastern wolves in New England will conclude by Sept. 30, 2012, when the agency signaled national-level protection for wolves would cease, likely including protections for wolves anywhere they are not currently found, such as the Northeast, Great Plains and central Rocky Mountains.  


“Scientists have identified extensive wolf habitat in the Northeast, Southwest, Rocky Mountains and West Coast,” said Greenwald. “Protections should stay in place in all these wild areas, and recovery plans should be written allowing wolves to return safely.” 


Wolves may retain protections in portions of California and western Washington and Oregon. Two packs now reside in Washington, and wolves have been moving west from newly established packs in eastern Oregon — including OR-7, or Journey, who traveled 1,000 miles to become the first wolf in California in almost 90 years. The situation is less clear in the Northeast, where there are no breeding packs, although there are wolves a mere 100 miles north of the Canadian border.  


“We hope wolves in the Southwest and Northwest will retain protection and gain the benefits of scientific recovery plans,” said Greenwald. “But stripping protections for wolves in the central Rocky Mountains of Utah and Colorado, and in verdant New England where overlarge deer populations are devouring tree seedlings and stopping forests from regrowing, hurts these ecosystems and is tragic for pioneering wolves.”


In the vacuum of federal leadership for wolf recovery, and in light of OR-7’s ongoing two-month-long journey into Northern California, a hopeful precursor of other wolves’ arrivals, the Center petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission on Monday to list wolves as endangered under the state’s Endangered Species Act and develop a state recovery plan.


Scientists have found that wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995 forced elk to move more, allowing for recovery of streamside vegetation and helping beavers, fish and songbirds. Wolves also benefit scavenging animals such as weasels, eagles, wolverines and bears; and they increased numbers of foxes and pronghorns in Yellowstone and nearby Grand Teton National Park by controlling coyotes.


“If we want to keep any part of America wild, we need to keep our wolves,” said Greenwald.


Read the federal recommendation at:http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/five_year_review/doc3978. lupus 5-YR review PDF.pdf


Read more about the Center’s work to save wolves at:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/gray_wolves/index.html

Contact Info: Noah Greenwald, (503) 484-7495

Website : Center for Biological Diversity

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Support the protection of Ulcinj Salina, Montenegro: sign the petition!

Posted by admin on February 16th, 2012
Support the protection of Ulcinj Salina, Montenegro: sign the petition!

(c) Darko Saveljic

Ulcinj Salina is an important Important Bird Area (IBA) on the Adriatic flyway in Montenegro. The whole area belongs to a private salt company of which its owner now announced plans to convert 15 km2 of basins from salt production into a touristic development complex with hotels and golf terrains. Contrary to the expectations, the Government of Montenegro has given its approval for implementing this plan. 

The Ulcinj Salina is one of the most important sites for migrating birds, and is a major nesting, wintering and roosting site on the East coast of the Adriatic. It is also very important for the fauna in Montenegro. More than a quarter of the bird species in the country are nesting there, and it provides services to numerous endangered species of fishes, amphibians, reptiles and birds, such as Dalmatian Pelicans or Spotted Redshanks.

What is particularly interesting is that Salina, one of the first private protected areas in Europe, is a very successful example of symbiosis between an economic exploitation of space and bird habitat.

The Center for the Protection and the Research of Birds of Montenegro (CZIP) launched an online petition to create awareness for this problem and to call upon individuals, organisations and institutions from all around the globe to act.

BirdLife Europe strongly believes that Ulcinj Salina should remain a protected nature area, and invites everybody to sign the petition here http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/protection-of-ulcinj-salina-eng/, and to share the information with their contacts.

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This post was written by:

BirdLife Europe – who has written 75 posts on BirdLife Community.

The BirdLife Europe Partnership consists of 45 conservation organisations with almost 3,000 staff, 1.9 million members and more than 6,000 reserves covering over 300,000 hectares.

Soil protection critical for Europe’s economy and ecosystems

Posted by admin on February 14th, 2012

Soil is a vital, non-renewable resource for ecosystems, playing an essential role in services such as water purification and food production. It is also a major global carbon sink, with significant potential to remove climate-changing gases from the atmosphere.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has joined forces with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre on ‘The state of soil in Europe‘, a comprehensive scientific report highlighting the need to protect and maintain soil in a co-ordinated way across the European Union. The report warns that failure to tackle increased soil degradation could eventually compromise food production. Moreover, degraded soil is less able to prevent droughts and flooding and stop biodiversity loss.

The EEA reported in its last flagship report that Europe’s soils are subject to erosion and landslides. Organic matter and biodiversity are both declining in some areas, while compaction, salinisation, and contamination are also significant issues. All these problems have considerable economic and environmental consequences. For example, soil erosion by water affects around 16% of Europe’s land area. It is largely the result of poor land management, such as deforestation, overgrazing, construction activities and forest fires.

For further information on the threats to Europe’s soils, see the 2010 EEA assessment, which includes a summary of key facts and key messages. These sources focus on how unsustainable human use and management of land is leading to increased soil degradation, and the loss of a resource that is fundamental to life on the planet.

News

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Environment Agency: Go-ahead for Godmanchester flood protection scheme

Posted by admin on February 10th, 2012

The Environment Agency confirmed today that the flood alleviation scheme proposed for Godmanchester will be funded.

Defra announced this morning its national flood defence Grant in Aid allocations which includes funding of 46% of the scheme.

The remaining funds will come from a Local Authority Local Levy and direct contributions from Cambridgeshire County Council and Huntingdonshire District Council. 

The town, which has no formal defences, came very close to being flooded in 1998 and properties within low-lying areas are considered to be at significant flood risk.

The scheme will reduce the annual risk of flooding from 5% to 1% in any year. This will provide flood protection to over 500 properties by building a combination of flood walls and flood embankments alongside the river Great Ouse.

Planning permission from Huntingdon District Council was granted on 11 January.

Steve Wheatley, Chair of the Central Area Regional Flood and Coastal Committee said: “This is excellent news for Godmanchester. I am most grateful for the additional funding from the county and district councils , and to the councillors on the committee, from as far away as Milton Keynes and Suffolk, for agreeing to allocate the levy monies their councils contribute to ensure that this scheme is now able to proceed to completion. Locally-raised funding will now pay for over half the scheme costs.”

Dr Geoff Brighty, Area Manager for the Environment Agency said: “We have managed to build a funding partnership with the committee, two local authorities and our national grant funding. I am delighted that we can now protect many properties, public buildings and businesses in this historic town from the devastating effects of flooding”.  

Some of the defences will be built in residents’ back gardens.  Geoff said: “The contribution by these townsfolk is magnificent – they may not themselves be at flood risk but they are doing a civic service to their community by allowing us to take forward this work on their land”.

Councillor Ian Bates, one of the Cambridgeshire County Council representatives on the Flood and Coastal Committee said: “I am pleased that authorities and organisations across the area have come together to make sure this vital scheme is built. Anyone who has witnessed the aftermath of flooding both on property and the victims of it know how devastating it can be. I welcome this scheme which will provide much needed flood protection for residents in Godmanchester and I am glad Cambridgeshire County Council was able to do its part to help.”

Councillor Jason Ablewhite, Executive Leader of Huntingdonshire District Council, said: ”It is vitally important for Godmanchester and we fully support it.  We will make it a priority to commit funding of £175,000.”

The Environment Agency has been contacting residents in preparation for the proposed construction works to be carried out by Jackson Civil Engineering.  Initial environmental works will start on 13 February 2012, prior to the bird nesting season, and will include the removal of some trees on the line of the proposed flood defence.  The main construction work will begin after Easter and will be completed in 2014. Efforts have been made to ensure works will not disrupt the Royal Charter 800th anniversary celebrations.

info4local Subject Documents

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Prince of Wales’ fish protection plan welcomed

Posted by admin on February 4th, 2012

Government Delay, Drought Prompts Renewed Push for Protection of Klamath River Chinook Salmon

Posted by admin on February 2nd, 2012

PORTLAND, Ore.— Conservation groups filed a formal notice of intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service Wednesday for failing to decide, as legally required, whether upper Klamath River chinook salmon deserve protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. In response to a January 28, 2011 petition from the groups, the Fisheries Service determined in April 2011 that the salmon may warrant protection and began a status review that was supposed to be completed within one year of the petition. The petition review comes at a perilous time for Klamath salmon as fears of a major drought linger.


“Klamath River chinook have suffered severe declines in the face of a century of dam building, logging, hatcheries, massive water withdrawal and pollution,” said Noah Greenwald at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These magnificent fish need Endangered Species Act protection if they’re going to have any chance at survival and recovery. We very much hope protection will be provided in the next 60 days so we won’t have to file suit.” 


The groups’ petition requested protection first and foremost for spring-run chinook, once the most abundant run of Klamath chinook but nearing extinction. Biologists now count just 300 to 3,000 wild-spawning spring chinook each year. These fish are marvels of evolution, living most of their lives in the Pacific Ocean to return to the river in spring with enough fat reserves to survive, without eating, until spawning time in early fall. They are prized as one of the best-tasting salmon species and have historically been the most economically important Klamath fish.


“We’ve seen chinook numbers dwindle to the point of crisis and with a looming drought year, we can’t wait any longer to figure out a plan to make sure these fish don’t go extinct,” said Steve Pederey with Oregon Wild.


The Klamath Basin was once the third-largest producer of salmon and steelhead on the West Coast, but now produces fewer and fewer wild fish as a result of dams, habitat degradation and other factors. Overall, at least 300 miles of spawning habitat in the Klamath Basin have been made inaccessible by dams. Because of declines in the overall numbers of returning wild chinook, the petition also asked the Fisheries Service to consider protecting wild fall-run chinook.


“Chinook salmon are essential for sustaining wildlife and cultures in the Klamath Basin,” said Andrew Orahoske of the Environmental Protection Information Center. “These amazing salmon are a vital, life-giving force to river communities and deserve to be protected for future generations.”


River management has exacerbated the chinook’s plight. In fall 2002, Klamath River chinook suffered one of the worst fish kills in Northwest history when as many as 70,000 adult salmon died before spawning. Excessive water withdrawals, primarily from the federally run Klamath Irrigation Project, resulted in low flows and warm water temperatures that allowed disease to develop and spread quickly. Continued low flows and warm temperatures are key drivers of an ongoing disease crisis in the river that has sharply reduced survival of juvenile wild fish on their way to the ocean.


The federal delay in reviewing the Endangered Species Act petition for Klamath chinook comes at a dangerous time. Lower than normal snowpack in the region’s mountains has prompted worries that the water year could be even worse than the drought that precipitated the 2002 fish kill. The petitioners are hopeful that Endangered Species Act protections can help to shield Klamath chinook from the potentially disastrous effects of low river flows.


The Center for Biological Diversity, Oregon Wild, Environmental Protection Information Center and The Larch Company filed the notice of intent.

Contact Info: Noah Greenwald, Center for Biological Diversity, (503) 484-7495

 Steve Pederey, Oregon Wild, (503) 283-6343 x 212

 Andrew Orahoske, EPIC, (707) 822-7711

Website : Center for Biological Diversity

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