An appeals court in the United States has declared on Oct. 24 that federal authorities may list species as "threatened" under Endangered Species Act based on climate change models.
The state of Alaska, groups of oil company and Alaskan natives have challenged the federal government's decision to list bearded seals under threatened species and to offer the deserving protection. The challengers argued that the bearded seal species' population was currently healthy and the climate change projections were speculative and not solid.
On the contrary, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that heard the case noted that National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) has sensibly determined that the climate change could deplete the Arctic ice on shallow waters and thereby endanger the seal species in the long run, say 2050 through 2100. The three-judge panel of the San Francisco appeals court unanimously agreed that the climate projections are not "arbitrary and capricious."
Meanwhile, Kristen Monsell, attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity that filed the petition regarding the issue in 2008, said the appeals court verdict is a "huge victory" for protecting the bearded seal as well as species that are likely to be included in the endangered species list as a result of climate change.
Monsell also noted that while the seals strive to re-establish their population, the officials will work to contain the greenhouse gas emissions and preserve the ice floes from melting.
On the other hand, Brad Meyen, Alaska's senior assistant attorney general said that such an opinion may in turn help NMFS to list any species present in large numbers as threatened species based on the climate projection made for next 100 years or so. The oil companies are concerned about the federal government's decision to protect bearded seals because it might affect their offshore drilling activities.
"Bearded seals have a shot at survival thanks to the powerful protections of the Endangered Species Act, but only if we take swift and meaningful action to address climate change," Monsell said. "If we don't, amazing creatures like these whiskered ice seals and other animals living in the Arctic could be doomed to extinction."
The bearded seals assemble on the ice floes on shallow waters to reproduce and nurse their offspring. While on floes the seals are safe from predators as well as have an easy access to food sources. The young ones also learn to swim, dive and forage in shallow waters.
If the climate change results in melting of ice floes, the seals would be forced to give birth on the shores and are likely to become easy prey for walruses and polar bears, which would result is huge loss of seal population.
