The US Department of the Interior last week agreed to speed the process of
protecting 29 critically endangered species. The list includes the pygmy rabbit,
the smallest in North America鈥攐nly 50 remain in Washington state. The
Center for Biological Diversity and two other conservation groups threatened
lawsuits if the department didn’t protect the species under the Endangered
Species Act. But critics say the deal doesn’t address the underlying problem.
Michael Senatore of the campaign group Defenders of Wildlife says insufficient
funding has left a huge backlog of endangered species waiting to be assessed.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin
2
We鈥檝e uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
3
Faecal transplant makes the brains of old mice act young again
4
If you aren't terrified by this heatwave, you should be
5
How menopause radically changes the brain 鈥 and what happens after
6
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
7
The race to understand how and when Thwaites glacier will collapse
8
Ancient human DNA found on cave art for the first time
9
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
10
I have a 100 per cent chance of getting cancer due to a rare gene
