THE
GODS OF SMALL THINGS: LA
WEEKLY FEATURE ON THE CENTER
FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
The current LA Weeklys
cover story, The
Gods of Small Things,
chronicles the national
and regional accomplishments
of the Center for Biological
Diversity. Author Susan Zakin
writes, The Center
for Biological Diversity
cares as much about the unarmored
three-spined stickleback
as it does a cathedral forest
of trees, which is why it
is reinventing the environmental
movement and could be saving
Southern California in
the process...In a dozen
years the Center...won 80%
of its cases, roughly twice
the rate of most environmental
lawfirms, gaining protection
for 288 species in 44 states.
It has changed the way 38
million acres are managed
in the American West, ended
cattle grazing along hundreds
of miles fragile desert rivers,
slowed sprawl of subdivisions,
and reduced logging from
Alaska to Arizona....The Center
has become a one-stop shopping
outlet, suing on everything
from big dams to the expansion
of military bases.
To
read the full story with
pictures of the stickleback
and other cool species, click
here.
SUIT
FILED TO PROTECT ANCIENT
GREEN STURGEON
The Center for Biological
Diversity, Environmental Protection
Information Center, and Oregon
Natural Resources Council
filed suit on 11-14-02 to
force the National Marine
Fisheries Service to decide
whether to list the green
sturgeon as an endangered
species.
Green
sturgeon are one of the world's
most ancient living
species and are among the
largest freshwater fish. They
can reach 7.5 feet in length
and weigh up to 350 pounds.
Having survived for millions
of years, the green sturgeon
has declined by 88% in the
Pacific Northwest in just
a few short decades due to
overfishing, dam construction
and habitat loss. It has
been eliminated from the San
Joaquin, Eel, and South Fork
Trinity Rivers in California
and has declined severely
in the Umpqua River in Oregon
and the Fraser River in Canada.
It is currently known
to spawn in only the Sacramento,
Klamath-Trinity and
Rogue River basins.
Nevertheless,
the Fisheries Service has
refused to review a petition
to protect the sturgeon.
The case is being argued by
Brent Plater (the Center)
and Sharon Duggan.
For
more information on the Centers
green sturgeon
campaign, click
here.
PETITION
FILED TO SAVE PRINCE WILLIAM
SOUND ORCAS
The National Wildlife Federation,
Center for Biological
Diversity, Alaska Center
for the Environment, Alaska
Community Action on Toxics,
Coastal Coalition, Defenders
of Wildlife, and the Eyak
Preservation Council filed
a petition on 11-14-02 to
have the AT1 population of
killer whales in Prince William
Sound listed as depleted
under the Marine Mammal Protection
Act.
In
1984, the AT1 orca population
was at least 22. Up to
nine killer whales were lost
in the years following
the Exxon Valdez oil spill
in 1989, when several AT1
killer whales were videotaped
swimming through rafts
of crude and were never seen
again. A whale named Eyak
that beached and died near
Cordova in 2000 had concentrated
PCBs at 370 parts per million
and DDT at about 470 parts
per million in its tissues
-- one of the most contaminated
marine mammals ever tested.
Over the same period, the
number of harbor seals numbers
crashed in the Gulf of
Alaska, plunging by more
than 80%. Boat traffic and
underwater noise increased.
Today,
there are nine whales. Only
two of the remaining whales
are females young enough
to reproduce. No new calves
have been observed since
1984. A depleted listing will
require the National Marine
Fisheries Service to develop
a plan to save the orcas,
and will draw attention to
the worldwide problem posed
by the spread of industrial
pollutants and pesticides
banned in the United States
but still produced in Asia.
For
more information on Prince
William Sound Killer Whales.
NEW CALF
BRINGS HOPE TO PUGET SOUND
ORCAS
The first sighting of newborn
calf brings the size of
the Puget Sound orca population
up to 80 animals. The
population likely numbered
in the hundreds prior to
being captured for display,
shot by fishermen and the
military, poisoned by DDT
and PCBs, harassed by intense
whale watching pressure,
and suffering the decline of
it primary food source- pacific
salmon.
In response to a population
crash of 20% in the past
few years, the Center for
Biological Diversity and others
petitioned to list the Puget
Sound orcas as an endangered
species. The Bush administration,
however, refused to
protect the orcas stating
that although the population
is genetically, physiologically,
and behaviorally distinct,
its extinction would not
be biologically significant.
The
Center and others will soon
file suit to challenge this
first-ever decision by the
U.S. Government that extinction
is not significant. For more
information on the Centers
campaign to save the Puget
Sound orcas.
ENDANGERED
SPECIES PREVAIL AT CITES
CONVENTION: A REPORT FROM CHILE
The Center for Biological
Diversitys population
ecologist, Dr. Martin Taylor,
attended the 12th meeting
of the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Flora and
Fauna (CITES) in Chile this
November. Representing the
Center and the Whale and
Dolphin Conservation Society,
Dr. Taylor joined a host
of environmental groups pressing
for greater restrictions
on international trade of
endangered species. The primary
issue at the convention was
the placement of imperiled
species on Appendix I or
Appendix II of CITES. Appendix
I species are fully protected
from international commercial
trade. Appendix II species
can be internationally traded,
but only by permit, and only
if it the species is not
harmed. Unlisted species
are not protected from trade
pressures.
Overall,
the conference was very beneficial,
especially for American
mahogany, sea horses, sharks,
whales, parrots and turtles.
African elephants, however,
suffered a set back in protection.
Marine
Fish. Chiles proposal
to develop a special
CITES working group to advance
fisheries interests was
defeated in an upset vote
by whaling nations who turned
against the proposal because
of amendments by the U.S.
that limited the scope. Multiple
attacks by the pro-fisheries
block (led by Norway, Iceland,
Japan, and China) on
listings of marine species
were frustrated in the meeting.
Proposals
to protect whale sharks by
the Philippines and India
and basking sharks by the
UK on Appendix II were approved.
A
proposal to list the Patagonian
and Antarctic toothfish
on Appendix II was withdrawn
by Australia in the face
of industry opposition and
was replaced by a weaker
resolution to improve compliance
with the regional management
organization.
Marine
Mammals. Japan mounted
a campaign to undermine the
current moratorium on commercial
whaling. It proposed
to downlist certain stocks
of Minke whales and Brydes
whales from Appendix I to
Appendix II to allow international
trade in these species. The
attempt was defeated by
extensive lobbying by environmentalists.
Japan lost
considerable credibility
with other whaling nations
(Norway and Iceland) by mistakenly
writing the proposal
to allow only trade
between parties. This
would rule out trade in whales
taken on the high seas.
Japan tried twice to amend
its proposal to read trade
by parties. They were
defeated both times, because
amendments cannot expand,
only restrict the scope of
proposals.
Georgias
proposal to uplist the Black
Sea bottlenose dolphin
from Appendix II to Appendix
I was defeated, but after
intense environmental lobbying
was maintained as an
Appendix II species with
zero trade quota.
Seahorses.
The U.S. successfully proposed
adding six species of
seahorses to Appendix II
despite strong opposition by
fisheries organizations and
importing countries such
as China.
Birds.
Yellow-naped parrots and
blue-headed macaws were added
to Appendix I.
Amphibians.
Nineteen species of Asian
freshwater turtles were added
to Appendix II. Two proposals
to weaken sea turtle protection
were withdrawn due to strong
opposition by environmental
groups.
Mammals.
African elephants fared poorly
as a one-time trade approval
was granted from ivory from
endangered elephants in
Botswana, Namibia and South
Africa. The proposal was
passed due to lack of leadership
from the U.S. and the
E.U. Though the trade is
limited and must comply with
strict regulations, elephant
protection groups believe
it will give poachers a green
light to continue killing
elephants.
Plants.
Plant victories include uplistings
of U.S. species Tonopah
fishhook cactus and Santa
Barbara Island dudleya and
the Chilean monkey puzzle
tree to Appendix I. Big-leaf
mahogany and Lignum vitae
were added to Appendix II.
Mahoganys listing will
not take effect for another
year, but it is the first
major timber species to be
listed despite strong opposition
from timber interests
and Brazil. Switzerlands
proposed downlistings
of prickly pear and Pereskia
species were withdrawn
for lack of support.
For
more information see:
www.citescop12.cl/English/english.html
www.speciessurvivalnetwork.org
www.wdcs.org
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