Rusty patched bumble bee critical habitat ruling
Once common in the Midwest and Northeast, the rusty patched bumble bee has suffered an 87% decline. In addition to habitat loss and degradation, pesticides, climate change and disease have
contributed to that decline.
A federal judge on Friday rejected the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's decision to refuse to designate critical habitat for the bee and ordered the Service to reconsider. Despite the bees having been listed as an endangered species in 2017, in part due to the loss of 99% of their native grasslands in the Northeast and upper Midwest, the Service determined in September, 2020 that designating critical habitat for them was “not prudent.” The agency claimed that lack of habitat did not limit the bees’
conservation.
“Once again, it took a lawsuit to ensure wildlife gets deserved protections,” said Lucas Rhoads, staff attorney at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “Our critical pollinators are disappearing, and the least we can do is protect the areas that these species call home." The court’s decision makes clear that this isn’t just a moral imperative, but a legal one. The Service now must act quickly to
protect the bee’s habitat before it is too late.
”The Endangered Species Act requires the Fish & Wildlife Service to designate critical habitat for listed
species, with few exceptions. Species without designated critical habitat are only half as
likely to be moving toward recovery as species with critical habitat."
Now it's up to FWS to do their job.