Iconic American Mammal Now 'Threatened' Under Endangered Species Act
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced on Wednesday that it was listing wolverines, the largest land-dwelling members of the weasel family, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The decision reverses a previous ruling in 2020 that was challenged by conservationists.
Whereas the mammals were once abundant in the United States from the northern half of the country to as far south as the the Rockies in New Mexico and the Sierra Nevada in Southern California, it's now estimated that their numbers may be fewer than 300. Now, small populations can primarily be found only in Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, and northeast Oregon.
Climate change is directly to blame for their dwindling numbers, as pregnant females depend on deep snow in the spring to den and rear their young. But as the planet warms, snow is melting earlier in ranges such as the Sierra Nevada, causing wolverines to lose their habitats. This is on top of other factors such as trapping and human interference.
"The science is clear: snowpack-dependent species like the wolverine are facing an increasingly uncertain future under a warming climate," said Michael Saul, Defenders of Wildlife Rockies and plains program director, in a statement. “The protections that come with Endangered Species Act listing increase the chance that our children will continue to share the mountains with these elusive and fascinating carnivores."
"Now it’s time to support the species’ future by bringing them back to the mountains of Colorado as well," he added.
In October 2020, the Fish and Wildlife Service decided against extending the animals threatened status based on a 2018 "Species Status Assessment" that claimed the "wolverine appears resilient within its contiguous United States range." That assessment estimated the wolverine population to be around 318, with a potential habitat that could support 644 wolverines.
However, conservation organizations disputed the ruling, suggesting that there were fewer than 300 wolverines left in the contiguous United States. Furthermore, it was argued that listing wolverines as threatened or endangered would help bring forth long overdue conservation efforts.
"Current and increasing impacts of climate change and associated habitat degradation and fragmentation are imperiling the North American wolverine," added Hugh Morrison, regional director of the Pacific Fish and Wildlife Service. “Based on the best available science, this listing determination will help to stem the long-term impact and enhance the viability of wolverines in the contiguous United States."