Federal agency sets habitat protections for Canada lynx in Colorado and New Mexico
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a recovery plan and proposed critical habitat designations for threatened Canada lynx in late November. The proposal marks the first time the agency has protected lynx habitat in the southern Rockies. New designations cover 7,679 square miles in Colorado and portions of San Juan County in New Mexico. The Service also designated additional lands in Idaho. Between 1999 and 2006, wildlife managers reintroduced 218 lynx into Colorado. Conservation groups won two court cases that compelled the Service to protect lynx habitat increasingly threatened by climate change. The proposal would exclude areas where the species' continued survival is unlikely. While the critical habitat proposal decreases acreage around Greater Yellowstone, the southern Rockies additions represent a significant expansion. Matthew Bishop, senior attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center, said the science and the law support the protections.
The designations give an iconic wild cat a better chance at survival as warming temperatures threaten its habitat. Federal agencies must now make special efforts to protect critical habitat from damage or destruction.
Source: wildearthguardians.org.
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