“The recovery of an endangered species is always something to celebrate but, in this case, it’s premature. It’s ironic that the decision to downlist has been made in the wake of one of the largest and most destructive storms to hit the Southeast in recorded history, fracturing crucial connections between red-cockaded woodpecker habitats. Decades of significant progress have been made to recover this species and manage habitats effectively — progress which could now be upended at a critical time.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today downlisted the red-cockaded woodpecker from endangered to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act, a decision conservation groups have staunchly opposed.
read more defenders.org/newsroom/defenders-disappointed-downlisting-of-red-cockaded-woodpecker
