U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Proposal to List Seven Foreign Bird Species as Endangered under Endangered Species Act
Washington, DC – -(AmmoLand.com)- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal to protect seven Brazilian bird species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). If made final, the measure would extend ESA protection to these species. The decision by the Service was published in today’s Federal Register.
Addition of a foreign species to the federal list of threatened and endangered species places restrictions on the importation of either the animal or its parts. Listing also serves to heighten awareness of the importance of conserving these species among foreign governments, conservation organizations and the public.
The seven species are all native to the Atlantic Forest and neighboring regions of southeastern Brazil and include the black-hooded antwren, Brazilian merganser, cherry-throated tanager, fringe-backed fire-eye, Kaempfer’s tody-tyrant, Margaretta’s hermit, and southeastern rufous-vented ground-cuckoo.
In July of 2008, the Service published a notice in the Federal Register announcing its petition findings for foreign species and announced that the listing of 30 foreign species, including these seven, is warranted. After studying the best available scientific and commercial information regarding the threats to the species, the Service has concluded that these seven species should be identified under a single proposed rule for three reasons:
1) all seven species are found in the Atlantic Forest and southeastern region of Brazil. 2) the species are subject to similar threats including small population sizes, habitat loss due to deforestation, and ongoing landuse practices. 3) combining species that face similar threats allows the Service to maximize limited resources and increase our ability to complete the listing process for warranted-but-precluded species.
Of the remaining 23 foreign species, proposed listing rules have since been published for 10 species and proposed listing rules for the remaining 13 species are scheduled to be published in the Federal Register by the end of December 2009.
The Service is seeking additional information on the status of the seven bird species from all available sources, including peer reviewers, scientific researchers, non-government organizations, government agencies, range countries and individuals.
The Service will accept comments and information concerning the species from interested parties for 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register. Comments may be submitted at the Federal eRulemaking Portal, http://www.regulations.gov. (Follow the instructions on the Web page for submitting comments). To deliver written comments by U.S. mail or hand-delivery, address to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R9-IA-2009-0028; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222; Arlington, VA 22203. All comments except anonymous comments will be posted on http://www.regulations.gov. Comments, along with personal identifying information such as an address, telephone number, email address or other personal identifying information will be posted along with your comments.
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The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.