| Dec. 28 -- Federal officials have proposed listing the polar bear
as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, saying the
melting of ice sheets is threatening the animalsī survival.
Conservation groups applauded the move, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service saying global warming may be contributing to the problem. "Polar bears are one of natureīs ultimate survivors, able to live and thrive in one of the worldīs harshest environments," Interior Secretary Dick Kempthorne said Dec. 27 when he announced the proposal. "But we are concerned the polar bearsī habitat may literally be melting." The Fish and Wildlife Service is part of the Department of the Interior. The proposal cites the threat to polar bear populations caused by receding sea ice, which bears use as a platform to hunt for prey. Scientific observations have revealed a decline in late summer Artic sea ice of about 7.7 percent per decade and in the perennial sea ice area of 9.8 percent per decade since 1978, according to Wildlife officials. While the proposal to list the species as threatened cites problems with receding sea ice, it does not include a scientific analysis of the causes of climate change, saying that would be beyond the scope of the Endangered Species Act review process. However, the Bush administration "treats climate change very seriously and recognizes the role of greenhouse gases in climate change," according to an Interior Department statement. The Wildlife Service will use the next 12 months to gather more information before deciding whether to include the polar bear among the threatened species. Such a designation would offer the bears additional protections and require federal, state and local officials to identify practical and feasible measures to provide for conservation of the species. "Global warming is the single biggest threat to polar bearsī survival, and this will require the government to address the impacts on the polar bear," said Andrew Wetzler, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, which was among several that had pressured the federal government to do more to protect polar bears. "The time for half-measures is over. We must face the scientific warnings and address this challenge now."
To subscribe or visit go to: http://www.wastenews.com
|
