World News | As climate warms, US allows transfer of endangered species as last resort

BILLINGS, July 1 (AP) — U.S. officials say they will make it easier for scientists to relocate plants and animals outside their historic ranges as a last resort to save species threatened with extinction by climate change.

Relocations of species struggling with climate change have so far been done on a limited basis, including in Hawaii, where researchers raced to move seabirds to new islands to save them from rising waters .

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Federal regulatory changes released by the Biden administration on Friday would allow similar relocations for some of the most endangered plants and animals protected by the Endangered Species Act.

It also allows for relocation when a species is crowded out by exotic plants or wildlife. This summer, officials plan to introduce the Guam kingfisher to the Palmyra Atoll in southern Hawaii, after brown tree snakes were accidentally brought to Guam around 1950, decimating the kingfisher population. These birds are extinct in the wild but still exist in zoos.

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Relocating species to new areas has long been considered taboo because it could disrupt native ecosystems and crowd out native flora and fauna. The practice is gaining endorsement from many scientists and government officials as climate change alters habitats around the globe.

Federal officials say the effects of climate change were not fully appreciated when they adopted previous rules to prevent the movement of endangered species. Home Affairs Minister Deb Harlan said in a statement that as global warming intensifies, habitat changes “force some wildlife to live in new areas while driving others to the brink of extinction”.

She said allowing the relocation would strengthen conservation efforts and help preserve the species for future generations.

Republicans in Western states — states where gray wolves were reintroduced two decades ago amid local backlash — opposed the proposal. Officials in Montana, New Mexico and Arizona warned that the relocation could cause ecological damage due to the deliberate introduction of “invasive species.”

Jack O’Brien, a spokesman for Montana Gov. Greg Gianfort, said state officials would review the changes but expressed disappointment that federal officials announced them over the holiday weekend.

Examples abound of ecological disasters caused by species introduced into new areas—from Asian carp spreading in rivers and streams across the United States, to starlings from Europe destroying crops and driving away songbirds.

Wildlife officials in other states support the change and, along with outside scientists, suggest species could benefit. These include the base deer in southern Florida, desert flowers in Nevada and California, and the St. Croix ground lizard in the Virgin Islands.

Patrick Donnelly of the Center for Biological Diversity said he feared the rule could be abused to destroy habitat to make way for development. His team has been fighting against plans for a lithium mine in Nevada, where endangered desert wildflowers are found. The developer proposed transplanting Tim’s buckwheat and planting new plants elsewhere.

“Tim’s buckwheat situation has raised concerns that a mining company is intentionally destroying the habitat of an endangered species and then trying to compensate by creating new habitat elsewhere,” Donnelly said. “It is troubling that this new rule does not expressly prohibit such an arrangement.”

The new species relocation rules follow recent steps by the Biden administration to reverse major changes to endangered species programs made during the Trump administration. Industry groups lobbied for these early changes, but were heavily criticized by environmentalists.

The Fish and Wildlife Service said last week it would reinstate a decades-old statute requiring sweeping protections for species newly classified as threatened. Officials also said they would no longer consider economic impacts when deciding whether plants and animals need conservation. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a syndicated news feed, the latest staff may not have revised or edited the body of content)