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Democracy works for Endangered Species Act, study finds


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#1 Guest_mywan_*

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 03:34 PM

I found this interesting, from: http://www.scienceco...udy_finds-96834

"We found that citizens, on average, do a better job of picking species that are threatened than does the Fish and Wildlife Service. That's a really interesting and surprising finding," says co-author Berry Brosi, a biologist and professor of environmental studies at Emory University.
[...]
The results showed that listings resulting from citizen-initiated petitions are more likely to pose conflicts with development, but those species are also significantly more threatened, on average, than the species in FWS-initiated petitions.



#2 Guest_FirstChAoS_*

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Posted 18 August 2012 - 12:44 AM

I didn't know threatened and endangered species can be nominated. I always wondered why the lined seahorse wasn't protected. After looking for them a few times with bumpylemon with no luck, Ia sked about the ones in the tank at the Sea Coast Science Center at last years bioblitz. (their will be a new bioblitz this year, but it overlaps with the convention). They told me they are so rare due to eelgrass habitat decline they never find them sampling the eeelgrass beds, and instead have a deal with local lobstermen to get the ones from their traps.

When a fish cannot be found in its native habitat by people looking for them you know something is wrong.

#3 Guest_mywan_*

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Posted 18 August 2012 - 12:48 PM

Citizens can both petition for listing of species and challenge any findings through litigatio.

#4 Guest_fundulus_*

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Posted 18 August 2012 - 05:54 PM

It doesn't surprise me. That's why you hear about lawsuits against Fish & Wildlife, basically citizens asking the FWS to do their job and list species. Without such petitions, and threats of lawsuits, the Spring Pygmy Sunfish for example would not have gotten another look from FWS even if the current proposal isn't necessarily a whole lot better than the status quo ante. It's not that FWS doesn't care, it's that they're severely constrained by resources and what they feel is thei support from the Congress especially.



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