Endangered Species

The extraordinary diversity of plants and animals native to the greater American Southwest increasingly faces threats from unsustainable water development, livestock production, oil and gas extraction, unsustainable logging, off-road vehicles, and other destructive land uses. The natural splendor of the forests, desert grasslands, shortgrass prairie, and rivers and wetlands in our region inspires us to be vigilant in ensuring they are not squandered by short-sighted policymakers and industry. Read more..

Safeguarding the diversity of life

Forest Guardians is working to fundamentally reform federal endangered species policy by steadily applying pressure on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list and provide critical habitat for imperiled species; watch-dogging federal land managers such as the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to ensure their activities do not harm species on the brink; and raising awareness in the media and among the public of the importance of recovering at-risk native animals and plants and the need to bring this mandate home to our federal, state, and local governments.

In the escalating struggle to protect native plants and animals, Forest Guardians has chosen a focal species approach where we prioritize the protection of keystone, umbrella, and indicator species to ensure that our biodiversity protection efforts leverage as much protection as possible. See more about the species we work to protect..

Protecting Species on the Brink

In 2001, Forest Guardians officially started an Endangered Species Campaign. Under this campaign, we’ll seek new or increased protection under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) for species that are facing endangerment or extinction.
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Studies show that the Endangered Species Act works very well in preventing extinction of native wildlife and plants. With adequate funding and implementation of the law, those species can one day recover.

For specific questions about our efforts to protect endangered species, contact Dr. Nicole Rosmarino, endangered species program director.