Andrew Wetzler's Blog
Profiles of the edge
August 17, 2008
Posted by Andrew Wetzler in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places , U.S. Law and Policy
Like a shipwrecked sailor clinging to the storm tossed cliffs of an angry sea, many plants and animals in Virginia and Maryland, such as the seabed amarath, cling to life as they pull against the swirling drain of extinction. Today the Washington Post begins its profile of 17 of the District of Columbia region’s endangered and threatened species, which will run over the next several weeks. The article starts off by recapping the Bush Administration’s recent proposed regulations to gut the Endangered Species Act’s consultation provisions, but then goes on to place that proposal in the context of specific species. It also includes a nice gallery of artwork. One of the dangers of the Bush Administration’s proposal is that it seems so abstract. But its consequences will be all too real, not just for imperiled wildlife in D.C., but across the United States. Hopefully, the Post’s profiles will remind legislators returning from their summer break what’s really at stake.
[This post is my entry into the NRDC Bulwer-Lytton © Environmental Blogging Competition]
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Comments
Maya, C.V.T. — Aug 17 2008 03:09 PM
What a great blog - I'm just sorry I didn't notice it sooner! Although I am earning a master's degree in conservation biology (focusing on endangered species), I'm afraid we are too myopic about "protecting" individual species instead of habitat. I am strongly in favor of CITES, etc but in the meantime, if we can't find ES on habitat types, we just pave over it. To me, if habitat is viable, then it needs to be protected.
Sadly too much emphasis is on reintroduction and breeding in captivity, where we don't consider the intrinsic value of the individual animal. The public now thinks that if a species goes extinct, zoos can just "make more" of them. The sooner we teach the public to respect the existing populations, the better.
Great post, stunning artwork on that link. Thanks!!