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“For the species proposed for delisting today, the protections of the (Endangered Species Act) came too late, with most either extinct, functionally extinct, or in steep decline at the timing of listing,” the US Fish and Wildlife Service said.
Also slated for delisting are the Bachman’s warbler, two species of freshwater fishes, eight species of Southeastern freshwater mussels and 11 species from Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland further underscored the need to take action to prevent extinction and protect biodiversity.
“With climate change and natural area loss pushing more and more species to the brink, now is the time to lift up proactive, collaborative, and innovative efforts to save America’s wildlife,” Haaland said Wednesday in a statement. “The Endangered Species Act has been incredibly effective at preventing species from going extinct and has also inspired action to conserve at-risk species and their habitat before they need to be listed as endangered or threatened.
“We will continue to ensure that states, Tribes, private landowners, and federal agencies have the tools they need to conserve America’s biodiversity and natural heritage.”
The proposal to delist these 23 species will be open for public comment until the end of December, the agency said.
Ivory-billed woodpecker relied on scarce habitat
Almost 3 billion birds have been lost in North America since 1970, according to a US Fish and Wildlife Service news release.
Once its habitat began to disappear because of uncontrolled logging, the woodpecker became scarce. It was frequently shot by hunters and collectors, which also likely contributed to its disappearance, the conservancy said.
Some of the last sightings of the ivory-billed woodpecker came from the 81,000-acre Singer Tract of Louisiana, the largest piece of old-growth swamp forest left in the South, according to the conservancy.
CNN’s Liz Stark contributed to this report.