Koala and Lynx Listed as “Threatened” Under ESA

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service acted on behalf of two of the world’s most species this spring when it listed the koala and the Canada lynx as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Such a federal listing denotes a species that is likely to become endangered throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

          The popular tree-dwelling Australian koala was almost wiped out by the fur trade in the early 1900s. But now, logging, agricultural expansion, and urban sprawl have encroached on the koala’s eucalyptus forest home, destroying much of the vital ecosystem on which the species depends. Much of the forestland is cut down for woodchips in particular, which are exported to paper mills in Japan. According to Deborah Tabart, Executive Director of the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF), “At the moment with landclearing and development the way it is, the koala doesn’t have much chance of survival.”

            The Service received 3,000 responses to its proposal to list the koala. The primary objections to the listing came from individuals within the Australian state governments, such as Victoria and New South Whales, who claimed that the koala should be considered individually within each Australian state rather than across the entire range. The US argued in response that a species’ population status could not be decided by looking at “political boundaries within countries.”

            Fish and Wildlife Service Director Jamie Rappaport Clark said of the decision, “By listing koalas as threatened under the ESA, we are able to help educate the public about the need for conservation efforts to protect these enchanting animals and their habitat.”

            Similar protected status was conferred upon the only lynx in North America, the Canada Lynx (Lynx Canadensis). This listing, however, involved almost a decade of petitions, notices, public comments, and lawsuits. On the proposed lynx listing, over 3,500 comments were received, more than three to one in favor of the threatened designation.

            The lynx occurs across the US on both private and public lands, with a substantial amount of its habitat falling within lands that are controlled by the National Forest Service. However, Federal land management plans do not adequately protect the lynx or its primary prey species, the snowshoe hare. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, “timber harvest and its related activities are a predominant land use affecting lynx habitat.” Commercial trappers and loggers are the greatest enemies of the lynx.

            As a result of the listing, it is illegal to take wild lynx, possess, sell, deliver, carry, transport, or ship illegally taken lynx, export lynx as well as lynx parts or products without an appropriate permit, or deleteriously modify lynx habitat. Unfortunately, the Service did not simultaneously designate “critical habitat” for the lynx, which is vital to ensuring that a listed species has the necessary territorial protection to enable recovery.

Top Photo, Mother and baby koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in Australia.  Habitat destruction is a leading factor threatening the long-range existence of this unique species. (Ann Sharp/AKF)

Bottom Photo, Listing the Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis), the only lynx in the United States, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act may not only provide the species necessary protection, but also spur the creation of an appropriate Federal land management strategy for the embattled species' conservation. (Daniel J. Cox/Natural Exposures)