US government sued over endangered species
Three environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the US government this week, claiming Washington had failed to take the urgent steps required to ensure the survival of the endangered loggerhead sea turtle.
The groups, Centre for Biological Diversity, Oceana Inc and Turtle Island Restoration cite a number of threats to the turtles' survival, such as pollution, climate change, sea level rise, and the destruction or degradation of nesting and foraging habitats. According to the groups:
"Loggerhead sea turtles are among the most imperilled of sea turtle species and have experienced alarming declines in recent years."
It is claimed that the species is being pushed to the brink of extinction, and that the government has failed to comply with deadlines set under the Endangered Species Act, to establish protected areas for the loggerhead sea turtle population.
Six of the seven species of sea turtle can be found in US waters, with Florida beaches having the largest population of loggerheads in the United States. Coastal development however poses an increasing threat.
These marine reptiles live mostly in the ocean and often migrate long distances, though adult females return to land to lay their eggs along the beaches. Loggerheads nest in Japan, and cross the Pacific to feed along the coasts of Southern California and Mexico.
According to the Centre for Biological Diversity, the Northern Pacific loggerhead population has declined by at least 80% in just ten years.
The Centre, along with the two other environmental groups, is calling for "significant legal protections that are important for [the loggerheads'] conservation and recovery."
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