Center for Biological Diversity

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The Center for Biological Diversity won important Endangered Species Act decisions for wildlife last year, including new protections for 55 animals and plants and proposals to protect almost 30 million acres of wildlife habitat from coast to coast. (Don't miss this short video about what you helped us accomplish in 2013.) We're happy about our victories, but there's so much more work to be done. This special edition of Endangered Earth Online looks at our top priorities for 2014.


Protect More Species and the Places They Live

Canada lynxIn 2014 we'll continue to see dozens of new species and habitat protections under the Endangered Species Act based on our historic 757 agreement. We'll see high-profile listing decisions for at least 39 species over the course of the year, including the American wolverine and Pacific fisher, two beleaguered and charismatic predators; the yellow-billed cuckoo; the Rio Grande cutthroat trout; a beautiful bird called the red knot; and the White River beardtongue, a plant severely threatened by plans to extract dirty tar sands in the Rocky Mountains.

Because preserving habitat is crucial to protecting and recovering endangered species, the Center has always placed enormous emphasis on habitat protection. And in 2014 we'll fight to lock in final decisions to protect millions of acres of critical habitat for the jaguar, Canada lynx, yellow-legged frog, Yosemite toad and Gunnison sage grouse.

Learn more about our historic victory for 757 species.


Take on the Climate Crisis

Polar bearThe Center remains on the front line of the fight against global warming, doing some of the country's most ambitious and innovative policy advocacy and outreach. Our Clean Air Cities initiative has organized nearly 80 cities calling on President Obama to take dramatic action on climate change and cut greenhouse gas pollution with the Clean Air Act. We also just exposed the toll that sea-level rise will take on endangered species -- a story recently featured in USA TODAY and Grist.

This year we'll wage cutting-edge legal and policy campaigns to cut CO2 emissions, address rising seas, expand our Clean Air Cities campaign and fight fracking and other dirty fuels that pollute our planet and worsen the climate crisis.

The climate crisis is the battle of the century, and we've never been known to run from a fight. Learn more about our work to curb climate change.


Save America's Wolves

Mexican gray wolfThe return of wolves to the lower 48 states remains one of our country's most prized recovery stories. But with wolves in less than 5 percent of their historic habitat, the tale remains unfinished. Scientists have identified hundreds of square miles of unoccupied territory for these keystone predators, including the southern Rockies, Pacific Northwest, Sierra Nevada and Northeast.

The Center is the only wildlife group active in protecting all endangered wolves across the country. Wolf recovery will remain a key priority in 2014: We'll fight efforts to strip protections in most of the lower 48 states; work to give wolves homes in Oregon, Washington and California; secure new protections for Alaska's beautiful Alexander Archipelago wolves, threatened by logging in the Tongass forest; and push for larger-scale recovery of Mexican wolves in the Southwest.

Learn more about how we're restoring the gray wolf.


Fight Dirty Energy

Whooping craneThe oil and gas industry is angling to extract and transport every last bit of polluting, climate-killing fossil fuel out of the ground, whether it's in polar bear habitat in the Arctic, endangered whale habitat offshore, whooping crane territory in the Midwest, or across our public lands that birds, foxes, bears and other wildlife call home.

We're stepping up our fight against dirty energy in 2014, taking off the gloves against the Keystone XL pipeline, tar sands development in the Rockies, fracking on public lands and off the California coast, and oil drilling in the Arctic. Big Oil has deep pockets and plenty of friends in Congress, so this will be an epic struggle as long as it lasts. But if wildlife and the rest of us are to have a bright future, it's a struggle we have to win.

Read more about our work to stop Keystone XL, fracking and Arctic drilling.


Defend the Oceans and Sea Life

Coral reefNever before have the threats to our oceans and their precious and mysterious wildlife been greater. Climate change is warming the water and raising sea levels, carbon is making the oceans more acidic, and overfishing and pollution are adding insult to injury by pushing numerous species to the brink of extinction.

In 2014, building on some remarkable successes in 2013 -- including a first-ever federal investigation of a plastic-polluted island as a potential Superfund site and another major study of possible water-quality standards for ocean acidification -- we'll confront the biggest threats to our oceans to prevent the destruction of marine biodiversity, from the biggest whale to the smallest sea butterfly. We expect to secure final protection in 2014 for no fewer than 66 species of coral.

Learn more about our work to save oceans.


Protect Apex Predators

Grizzly bearApex predators like bears, wolves and big cats are critical to the function of wild ecosystems. Without them intricate natural relationships established over thousands -- and sometimes hundreds of thousands -- of years are thrown into disarray and ultimately fall apart. Species extinctions follow.

This year the Center will push to protect and preserve these large carnivores, from polar bears in the Arctic and grizzlies in the Rockies to wolves along the West Coast, panthers in Florida and jaguars in the Southwest. We'll work to save other key predators as well, including wolverines, fishers and foxes.

Learn more about our work to save polar bears, grizzlies, Florida panthers and jaguars.


Defend Public Lands and Fresh Water

Coho salmonFew things are more important to wildlife than safe habitat and clean, fresh water. Our nation's public forests, deserts and grasslands are lifesaving refugia for wildlife in an increasingly developed world. And streams and rivers -- many of which begin on public lands -- nourish wildlife and human populations alike.

But these natural resources are under near-constant attack from industrial polluters and those that log, graze and mine our precious places -- no matter what the cost to nature. This year the Center is increasing its emphasis on protecting public lands and freshwater sources around the country, whether it's fighting water allocations from Utah's Virgin River and Arizona's San Pedro River, stopping mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia that buries streams, opposing Arizona's Rosemont mine planned in the same area where jaguars are struggling to return, or fighting the construction of a massive pipeline to Las Vegas that would dry up more than 300 springs in the Great Basin, jeopardizing springsnails and other animals.

We hope you'll stand with us as we protect these precious resources and places.


Expand Our Population and Sustainability Program

Endangered species condomsEvery day we add more than 200,000 people to the planet. The world population, which today is more than 7.1 billion, could hit 10 billion by the end of this century. Ultimately the growth of the human population -- and all we consume -- is at the root of the most vexing environmental issues of our day, including species loss and the climate crisis.

In 2014 the Center will continue to raise awareness about rampant population growth and give away Endangered Species Condoms (we've now distributed half a million) as we widen the conversation to include meat consumption, bad energy policies and other unsustainable practices that limit our ability to create a world that's livable both for people and the wildlife we love.

Check out our new Population and Sustainability page, sign up for our monthly e-newsletter Pop X, and take the pledge for a wild and sustainable 2014.


Save Wildlife From Sprawl and Development

San Joaquin River deltaWe know that in 2014 developers will continue to covet wildlands and water in California and the West. If wildlife is to have a fighting chance against planned land and water grabs, they need lawyers, scientists and activists in their corner.

This year we'll continue our legal and organizing work challenging urban sprawl development, especially where it threatens endangered animals and plants. The Center notched some major victories in 2013 that kept development in check, and we'll build on those this year, including efforts to protect the San Francisco-San Joaquin Bay Delta (and the species that call it home) and challenging misguided highway projects by California's transportation agency. We'll also jump into fights to protect water sources from those who want to siphon it away from rivers, streams and aquifers in order to feed yet more reckless urban development.

Read more about protecting urban wildlands.


Curb Pesticides and Other Deadly Toxins

Great horned owlsThe Center's work to reduce toxics in the environment ranges from pollutants in the air to pesticides and other poisons in the water to lead in hunting ammo. In 2014 we'll be following up on 2013's legal and advocacy work to protect endangered species across the country from the ravages of harmful chemicals -- from frogs to kit foxes to spotted owls.

We'll be fighting to ensure landmark deals to protect wildlife from toxins are enforced, keeping up the tough battle against the NRA's defense of lead ammo that kills millions of critters every year, and protecting our air from deadly soot pollution; we'll work to stop owls and hawks from being sickened and killed by super-toxic rat poisons; and we'll keep steady pressure on the feds to improve the irresponsible way they approve pesticides -- to name but a few of our many initiatives.

Read about pesticide reduction and getting the lead out of hunting ammunition.


Kierán Suckling
Executive Director


Photo credits: Jaguar courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Cburnett; Canada lynx courtesy Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; polar bear courtesy NOAA; Mexican gray wolf by George Andrejko, Arizona Game and Fish; whooping crane by Robin Silver, Center for Biological Diversity; coral reef fish courtesy Flickr Commons/NOAA; grizzly bear by Robin Silver, Center for Biological Diversity; coho salmon courtesy Flickr Commons/Soggydan, Dan Bennett; Endangered Species Condoms courtesy Flickr/AIDS/SIDA NB; San Joaquin River delta by D.H. Parks; great horned owls by Robin Silver, Center for Biological Diversity.

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Center for Biological Diversity

P.O. Box 710

Tucson, AZ 85702

1-866-357-3349