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Reforming the California Endangered Species Act

Legal Planet

But California’s biodiversity faces grave threats – pressures from development that eliminates habitat; water shortages that harm aquatic species in California’s rivers; and climate change impacts that are shifting and altering habitats, among others.

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Proposed Amendments to Endangered Species Act Regulations Could Curtail Protections for Species Imperiled by Climate Change

Columbia Climate Law

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and NOAA Marine Fisheries (NMFS) issued a sweeping proposal to amend key provisions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), including provisions pertaining to listing decisions, critical habitat designations, and interagency consultations. By Jessica Wentz. In July, the U.S.

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“Fully Protected” No More?

Legal Planet

In practice, this means that when a project site sits within fully protected species habitat, the State cannot authorize a take if an NCCP is not in place, and the project developer is on the hook for civil and criminal liability if a take occurs. But CESA protections are not as stringent as those provided by “fully protected” status.

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For Whom the Bellwether Tolls: Polar Bears, Climate Change, and Confounding Art with Science

HumanNature

Candidate in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology and the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology at Colorado State University Polar bears have become the global bellwether of climate change: a symbol for an impending catastrophe that will forever change the natural world as we know it.

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Environmentalism and the Supreme Court

Legal Planet

If you’re an anti-regulatory conservative, you’d probably flip these designations. This was a case under the Endangered Species Act. The Supreme Court interpreted the statute to place an absolute priority on preserving endangered species, regardless of the impact on the economy or other government goals.

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Appeals court upholds Ontario town’s convictions for damaging piping plover habitat

Enviromental Defense

Ontario Court of Appeals decision upholds vital habitat protection provision under province’s Endangered Species Act. Ecojustice, acting on behalf of Environmental Defence and Ontario Nature, intervened in the case. When a species like the piping plover becomes endangered, it’s a sign that the ecosystem is deteriorating.

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Environmental groups heading to court to protect endangered piping plover population at Ontario beach

Enviromental Defense

Case challenges habitat protection provision under province’s Endangered Species Act. Habitat loss and degradation threaten the species’ survival and recovery – and beach raking has been identified as a threat to their habitat. Beach conservation and tourism can co-exist. Background.