Search Results for keywords:"deforestation"

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a final rule listing three butterflies from Brazil—the Fluminense swallowtail, Harris' mimic swallowtail, and Hahnel's Amazonian swallowtail—as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. This move aims to extend legal protections to these butterflies, mainly due to threats like habitat loss and degradation, capture, and insufficient existing regulatory mechanisms to address these issues. These butterflies are facing extinction risks because their populations have been reduced and isolated in their natural habitats, which are undergoing severe urbanization and deforestation. The agency has highlighted both the challenges these species face and the legal measures in place to protect them.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the blue tree monitor, a rare lizard native to Indonesia, as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. This proposed rule is due to the lizard's shrinking population, caused by habitat loss from deforestation, climate change, and overcollection for the international pet trade. The service has identified that the blue tree monitor faces an immediate risk of extinction throughout its entire range. Public comments are invited until February 24, 2025, and a temporary 240-day emergency listing is also concurrently in effect.