Coastal Moth to Receive ESA Review
The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that a petition to protect the sand verbena moth under the Endangered Species Act merits further review. The determination follows a ninety-day review of a petition submitted by the WildEarth Guardians and the Xerces Society. The petitioners requested the species be listed as threatened or endangered throughout its range.
The moth is closely associated with the yellow sand verbena, a plant common to coastal dune areas from British Columbia to California. The petition specifies nine moth populations in the Georgia Basin and Puget Sound. None of the five known moth populations in the U.S. are located on private land. Primary threats to the moth identified in the finding include habitat destruction and degradation from habitat conversion and invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species such as non-native beach grasses. Potential threats listed by the petitioners include erosion, climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change , and impacts from recreational use.
The Service will conduct a status review to gather more information about the species and any associated threats. At the end of the review, the agency will make a determination on whether the species should be proposed for protection under the ESA.
The moth is closely associated with the yellow sand verbena, a plant common to coastal dune areas from British Columbia to California. The petition specifies nine moth populations in the Georgia Basin and Puget Sound. None of the five known moth populations in the U.S. are located on private land. Primary threats to the moth identified in the finding include habitat destruction and degradation from habitat conversion and invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species such as non-native beach grasses. Potential threats listed by the petitioners include erosion, climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change , and impacts from recreational use.
The Service will conduct a status review to gather more information about the species and any associated threats. At the end of the review, the agency will make a determination on whether the species should be proposed for protection under the ESA.
