With climate change.. America allows the transfer of endangered species

US officials said on Friday they will make it easier for scientists to move plants and animals outside their historical ranges as a last resort to save the world. endangered species due to climate change.

Relocations of species suffering from climate change have been undertaken on a limited basis so far, including in Hawaii where researchers have raced to move seabirds to new islands to save them from rising ocean waters.

A change to federal laws published by President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday is set to allow similar transfers of some of the most vulnerable plants and animals protected by law. endangered species.

The laws also allow transfers when the species crowds out non-native plants or predators.

This summer, officials plan to release Guam’s kingfishers on southern Hawaii’s Palmyra Atoll, after brown tree snakes accidentally brought to Guam around 1950 wiped out the species. This type of bird is extinct in the wild, but it is preserved in zoos.

An endangered Guam kingfisher

The transfer of species to new areas has long been considered taboo because of the possibility Disturbing local ecosystems and crowding out the local flora and fauna. But the practice is now gaining acceptance among many scientists and government officials as climate change alters the natural habitat of animals and birds around the world.

US Secretary of Home Affairs Debra Haaland said in a statement that as global warming intensifies, changes in natural habitats “force some wild animals to move to new areas to survive, as this leads to pressure on other species that are close to extinction.” She added that allowing the transfers would boost conservation efforts and help protect the species for future generations.

Republicans in western states – where the gray wolves were relocated two decades ago – have opposed the motion. Officials in Montana, New Mexico and Arizona have warned that the transfers could lead to environmental devastation as “invasive species” are intentionally introduced.

Jack O’Brien, a spokesman for Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, said state officials will review the changes, but expressed disappointment that federal officials announced them before the weekend.

Examples of environmental disasters caused by introduced species abound, from Asian carp spreading through rivers and streams across the United States, to starlings from Europe destroying crops and driving away songbirds.

In the interview, other state wildlife officials supported the change and, along with outside scientists, suggested species that could benefit from translocations. They include deer in South Florida, desert roses in Nevada and California, and the St. Croix ground lizard in the Virgin Islands.