Acc/to Wiedenmann, #CoralReefs support a third of all #marine #biodiversity either directly or indirectly. “If the #corals die, this support structure that provides food & homes is lost. Consequently, many #species will suffer, as well,” he said. Acc/to a 2020 study, rising #sea surface #temperatures & acidic waters could eliminate nearly all surviving #coral #reef #habitats by 2100.

…Beyond the loss of a thriving underwater #ecosystem, #coral death can degrade #reef structure & leave coastal communities vulnerable to #flooding hazards, acc/to USGS. In Florida, for example, #CoralReefs act as a natural buffer to #storm energy that can shield coastlines from destructive forces.

Since the early 1980s, scientists say, #CoralBleaching events have increased in frequency & severity as the burning of #FossilFuels drives up the #planet’s #temperature. #NOAA documented the first global #coral bleaching event in 1998 & the second in 2010. During the previous global event, between 2014 and 2017, 68% of the world’s #CoralReefs experienced bleaching-level #heat stress.

“The ongoing global #CoralBleaching event is the biggest to date,” #NOAA scientists said.

Bleaching occurs when #heat upends the #coral’s metabolism, causing it to turn white as it expels the symbiotic algae that provide it with nutrients & color. Bleaching doesn’t mean the coral has died, but prolonged bleaching — which scientists say is made more frequent & severe by rising #sea #temperatures — can kill it.

By the side, there were #stumps of several felled #trees which had been left to #rot and #decay. They make a #habitat for #ferns, #lichens and #fungi.

Boy they make those instructions seem tough, here I’ve simplified it by directly linking you to the correct proposed rule comment page.

Comment on the #Trump admin’s #EndangeredSpeciesAct proposed rule change redefining the word “#harm” here:

https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0034-0001

"You're not actually harming any of them directly," he said, but the end result is essentially the same.

The public has 30 days to comment on the proposed rule change. The move will also likely be challenged in court.

#Law #Science #Wildlife #Habitat #EndangeredSpecies #Conservation #Climate

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/17/2025-06746/rescinding-the-definition-of-harm-under-the-endangered-species-act

The #Trump admin cites Scalia's argument in its proposal, saying it's "undertaking this change to adhere to the single, best meaning of the ESA."

#Conservation experts argue that it makes no sense to adopt such a narrow definition of harm. "If you're a prairie chicken in the Southwest, & there's an oil & gas developer & they want to destroy your prime breeding display grounds, the bird can't mate," said Hartl.

That interpretation has been a crucial part of how the #EndangeredSpecies Act has protected over 1,700 species since its passage in 1973, said Hartl. It's helped preserve spawning grounds for #AtlanticSturgeon, allowing them to mate & sustain the population. It has protected old-growth #forests in the Pacific Northwest that house northern #SpottedOwls, saving them from #extinction.

The #Trump admin proposed a rule change that would prohibit only actions that directly hurt or kill actual animals, not the #habitats they rely on. If finalized, the change could make it easier to #log, #mine & build on #lands that #EndangeredSpecies need to thrive.

"#Habitat loss is the biggest single cause of #extinction & endangered species—it makes sense to address it,"Ctr for Biological Diversity govt affairs dir Brett Hartl said. He called efforts to deny that cause "callous & reckless."

Day 14

“Nearly 2m hectares of #forests suitable for endangered koalas have been destroyed since the iconic species was declared a #ThreatenedSpecies in 2011, according to analysis for Guardian Australia.

The scale of #habitat #destruction in #Queensland and #NewSouthWales – states in which the koala is formally recognised as being at risk of #extinction – has continued despite political promises it would be protected.

Analysis by the #AustralianConservationFoundation using state and federal government #data found 1,964,200 hectares of #koala habitat were cleared between 2012 and 2021, the latest year for which there was complete data.

The total amount of destroyed forest and bush covered an area larger than greater Sydney, taking in the #BlueMountains, the #Illawarra, the southern highlands and the #Goulburn and #Shoalhaven regions.

It is more than 10 times larger than the area the #NSW government is assessing for a possible “great koala national park”. But most of the cleared area – 81% – was in Queensland.

About three-quarters of the lost forest is estimated to have been cleared for agriculture, to create #cattle pasture and #crop fields. The analysis found 13% was removed by the #forestry industry and 5% for development of infrastructure, including #mining. Just 4% was likely due to natural causes, such as bushfire and drought.”

There’s a reason the Minister for the Environment has been kept quiet.

#Auspol / #Labor / #Straya / #ClimateExtinction <https://theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/12/koala-habitat-destroyed-since-2011-analysis>

“It really shows that we have a unique place in #Michigan where someone has a chance to see a #wolf, a #moose & a #cougar in the #wild. It’s something that should be celebrated, that we have the #habitat to support an elusive animal like this,”Roell said.

The cubs were spotted & photographed without their mother. #CougarCubs are highly dependent on their mothers, often staying with them for the first two years of life.