A conservation group in the US says its fight for a tiny endangered bird in the Northern Marianas is part of its battle against the Trump administration's step back from species protection.
The Tinian monarch Photo: WikiCommons
The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a notice of intent to sue the US Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to act on a petition to protect the Tinian monarch under the Endangered Species Act.
The small flycatcher is only found on the small island of Tinan but its forest habitat has shrunk over the years and is further threatened by plans to expand military training on the island.
An attorney for the group Ryan Shannon said the emphasis under Donald Trump seemed to be on removing protections rather than providing new ones for threatened species.
He said the centre fully intended to go forward with a lawsuit if the service did not contact it within 60 days to agree on a schedule to protect the bird.
"This bird is an incredible example of some of the wildlife that we see endemic in the Pacific islands. They're in desperate need of the protection of the Endangered Species Act and we hope that they receive the protections that they so desperately need.
"The likelihood of them becoming extinct is very high even from random events like a strong typhoon, climate change and wildfire and that threat is only enhanced by the fact that they've been reduced to about 5 percent of their historic native habitat, " he said.
Mr Shannon said the US Fish and Wildlife Service is several years overdue in determining the status of the species after receiving a petition from the Center in 2013.
Donald Trump Photo: PHOTOSPORT
"Importantly this is a species that the service itself has already recognised is critically imperilled so we don't think there's any reason why they should delay issuing an endangerment finding for this species."
Mr Shannon said in general under the Trump administration there had been a step back from attempts to protect endangered and threatened species.
"We are seeing a roll back of Endangered Species Act protections, not only species but also their habitat, the likes of which we haven't seen before and we are fighting on all fronts to ensure that imperilled species get the critical protections that they need and the protections that they need today."
