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Defenders Joins Over 100 Conservation Groups Opposing Wilderness Rollbacks
The public was forced to navigate five separate comment processes across three federal agencies as the Department of the Interior launched a sweeping review of longstanding policies protecting millions of acres of America’s wildest public lands.
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Defenders-Sponsored Bill to Help Fund Sea Otter Conservation Heads to Governor for Signature
The California state legislature today voted to re-establish the California Sea Otter Voluntary Tax Contribution Fund, providing residents with the opportunity to directly support this iconic animal.
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Bipartisan Bill Promotes Nonlethal Solutions to Decrease Human-Wildlife Conflicts
Defenders of Wildlife commends the leadership of Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Steven Daines (R-MT) for introducing S.5234, the Human-Wildlife Conflict Reduction Act, which would promote the use of nonlethal solutions to reduce human-wildlife conflicts, including those between predators and livestock and harm caused by wildlife to human infrastructure.
Press Releases
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Glass Frog Proposal Moves Forward To Full Adoption at CITES After Overwhelming Support
Today, in a late-night session the proposal to list all 158 species of glass frogs on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora was adopted by consensus after the European Union decided it would not block the proposal in the face of overwhelming support. The proposal was led by fourteen countries, including the host country Panama, Costa Rica, and the U.S.
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CITES Proposals for Endangered Sharks Pass First Hurdle at COP19
In a monumental step for marine conservation, two proposals to protect 60 sharks passed the first hurdle towards protection by the 19th Conference of the Parties (CoP19) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
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Lesser Prairie-Chicken Gets Federal Protections
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is listing the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Southern DPS of the lesser prairie-chicken is being listed as endangered. The Northern DPS of the lesser prairie-chicken is being listed as threatened, although Defenders petitioned for it to be endangered, which would provide it stronger protections.
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Gulf of Maine Lobster Fishery Loses ‘Sustainable’ Label Over Concerns About North Atlantic Right Whale Entanglements
The Marine Stewardship Council and Seafood Watch decided to revoke the sustainability label for Gulf of Maine lobster, citing concerns over endangered North Atlantic right whales becoming entangled in fishing gear. The decision comes after Defenders of Wildlife and other conservation groups acted in June 2022 to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale by formally objecting to a determination that the fishery should be recertified. MSC certification is widely recognized in grocery stores with a “blue fish tick” ecolabel.
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Judge Allows Biden Administration to Delay Restoring Critical Endangered Species Act Protections
In a major setback for wildlife protection and conservation, a federal district court today sided with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries, delaying the restoration of comprehensive Endangered Species Act protections for hundreds of species and the places they call home.
jcovey@defenders.org
