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加州紅腿蛙躍上美國聯邦法庭

2007年12月24日
摘譯自2007年12月19日ENS美國,美國加州舊金山報導;吳萃慧編譯;蔡麗伶審校

加州紅腿蛙;圖片來源:USGS保育團體12月19日對舊金山聯邦法庭遞交一個訴訟案,試圖推翻美國漁業暨野生動物局減少加州紅腿蛙棲地保護區域的決策。

這種蛙類曾經被馬克吐溫故事裡戲劇化地形容為「 加州卡拉維拉斯郡著名的跳蛙」。它是加州原生蛙類,曾發現它分佈在加州中部海岸至內華達山脈丘地之間。

名為「地球正義(Earthjustice)」的公眾利益法律事務所代表美國生物多樣性研究中心(Center for Biological Diversity)提出這個加州紅腿蛙的訴訟案,來對抗內政部秘書長坎培松(Dirk Kempthorne)及漁業暨野生動物局主任霍爾(Dale Hall)。

他們控訴的主題是管理局採用在2006年簽署的「瀕危物種法案」所列規定,使加州紅腿蛙的關鍵棲息地從410萬英畝(約合166公頃)減少為大約45萬英畝(約合18.2公頃)。

訴訟案中表示管理局與工業界進行私下協定,在環保團體的反對聲浪下,依然同意重新修訂有關這種蛙類關鍵棲地的相關規定。

這個加州紅腿蛙訴訟案是當天同時提出的13項訴訟案之一,這些訴訟案都是要挑戰漁業暨野生動物局拒絕適當區劃及保護13種瀕危動物關鍵棲地的作為,這些棲地分佈在加州、奧勒岡州、新墨西哥州及北卡羅來那州。

California Red-Legged Frog Jumps into Court
SAN FRANCISCO, California, December 19, 2007 (ENS)

Conservation groups filed a lawsuit today in federal district court in San Francisco seeking to overturn a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reduce protected habitat for the California red-legged frog.

The frog, dramatized in Mark Twain's story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," is a California native once found from the central coast to the Sierra Nevada foothills.

The public interest law firm Earthjustice filed the California red-legged frog suit on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity against Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Dale Hall, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

At issue is an April 13, 2006 Endangered Species Act rule adopted by the service that reduced the critical habitat for the California red-legged frog from 4.1 million acres to about 450,000 acres.

The suit claims that the service agreed to revise the frog's critical habitat rule as a result of a "closed-door settlement" between industry and the service that was approved over the objections of a coalition of conservation groups.

The California red-legged frog suit is one of 13 being filed today challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s refusal to properly designate and protect “critical habitat” areas for 13 endangered species in California, Oregon, New Mexico and North Carolina.

全文及圖片詳見:ENS

作者

蔡麗伶(LiLing Barricman)

In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.