The Louisiana Wildlife Federation has joined a coalition of conservation organizations challenging a federal rule that removes habitat protections from the definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), the coalition filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Prior to the rule change, federal regulations defined “harm” to include “significant habitat modification or degradation where it actually kills or injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding or sheltering.”
The coalition argues the change weakens protections for endangered and threatened species by allowing habitat destruction, the leading cause of species decline.
“It makes no sense to stop considering habitat needs for wildlife sustainability, much less for recovering an endangered or threatened species,” said Rebecca Triche, executive director of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. “Louisiana has a strong history of bringing back endangered species from the brink of extinction, and habitat has been crucial to that work.”
This rollback puts the endangered Rice’s whale at even greater risk. One of the rarest whales in the world, it is the only baleen whale known to live year-round in the Gulf of Mexico. Fewer than 100 are believed to remain, and researchers have detected their calls in waters offshore of Louisiana. The rollback also threatens the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, the world’s smallest sea turtle and a species found primarily in the Gulf. Both animals depend on healthy Gulf habitats for their survival and recovery.
In addition to the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, the coalition includes the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, Conservation Council for Hawaii, Florida Wildlife Federation, National Wildlife Federation, North Carolina Wildlife Federation, and South Carolina Wildlife Federation.
“The rescission is not just illegal; it makes no sense,” said Catherine Wannamaker, a senior attorney in SELC’s Charleston office, adding, “To protect and recover imperiled species, you must protect their homes.”