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swimming manta rays
Fort Myers, FL

Defenders of Wildlife Applauds Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for Tightening Protections for Listed Species

Defenders of Wildlife welcomes today’s action by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to end open permitting for the capture of ESA-threatened marine species in Florida waters for public display and exhibition purposes.
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NARW
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Legal Intervention Aims to Protect North Atlantic Right Whales From Deadly Ship Strikes

Conservation groups today filed a motion to intervene to help fight a lawsuit aimed at overturning a seasonal speed rule protecting North Atlantic right whales from deadly vessel strikes. The groups want to defend the rule against a lawsuit brought by a New York vessel owner fined for violating seasonal speed limits. The suit alleges that NOAA Fisheries lacked the statutory authority to issue the rule.
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greater sage grouse
Washington, D.C.

Final Rescission of Public Lands Rule Reverses Modern Land Management, Threatens Wildlife Habitat

The Bureau of Land Management today announced a decision to roll back the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, commonly referred to as the Public Lands Rule. The policy modernized how BLM manages our national public lands and represented the critical incorporation of ecological resilience into management alongside traditional resource extraction. The rule required science-based decision-making, conservation considerations within multiple land uses and a focus on sustaining public lands for the long-term benefit of wildlife and the American people.

Press Releases

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North atlantic right whale and calf
Washington, DC

Defenders of Wildlife Applauds Proposed Bill to Assist Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale

Today, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Right Whale Coexistence Act of 2022, which seeks to reduce human impacts on critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA) will introduce a companion bill in the House this Friday.
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Florida black bear
Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

New Sentinel Landscape Designated Across Florida Panhandle

The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, comprised of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Department of Interior (DOI), announced the designation of the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape (NWFSL), encompassing approximately 7.7 million acres of the Florida Panhandle around Eglin Airforce Base.
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Gray Wolf - Denali National Park - Alaska
Oakland, Calif.

Judge Restores Federal Protections for Gray Wolves

A federal district court today struck down a 2020 decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that removed federal protections from gray wolves across much of the U.S.
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Sunset over the Elk Mountains in the distance from a desert landscape
Washington, DC

New Study Shows Areas Important for Wildlife Adaptation to Climate Need More Protections

A new study, published in Environmental Research Letters, shows that conservation – particularly efforts to protect 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030 – should also focus on areas that can help wildlife better adapt in the face of climate change.
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Biodiversity collage
Washington, DC

Environmental Organizations, Federal and State Leaders Call for a National Biodiversity Strategy to Combat the Escalating Extinction Crisis

With one million species threatened with extinction, leading conservation organizations, including Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, World Wildlife Fund, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Wildlife Conservation Society and Natural Resources Defense Council, announced a new campaign to advocate for a national biodiversity strategy in the United States. Such a strategy is needed to ensure the U.S. government is taking an effective, whole-of-government approach to prevent the extinction of species, the collapse of ecosystems, and the increasing threats these pose to our health, security and well-being.
Senior Vice President, External Affairs
lsheehan@defenders.org
(202) 772-3244
Communications Director
mdewane@defenders.org
(202) 772-0217
Communications Specialist
jcovey@defenders.org
Communications Specialist
kirby@defenders.org
(202) 772-3268