https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2024-03/delisting-florida-golden-aster
"When the Florida golden aster (
Chyrsopsis floridana) was listed as
endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1986, only nine clusters
of the yellow daisy-like perennial herb could be found growing in Hillsborough
County, Fla. Today, 37 years later, 30 populations have spread across five
counties east and southeast of the Tampa Bay area in west central Florida.
Now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined the aster no longer
requires protection as endangered or threatened under the ESA. Under the ESA,
endangered species are at risk of becoming extinct, while threatened species
are likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.
“Good habitat management ensures the Florida golden aster will thrive and
continue to increase in number,” said Mike Oetker, the Service’s Southeast
Regional Director. “This success is due in large part to our conservation
partners at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and county
natural resource managers in west central Florida,” he added.
The golden aster grows in the open, white sandy soils of Florida scrub and
adjacent sandhill communities, but development and agriculture that has
destroyed, fragmented and degraded this habitat put the native wildflower at
risk. Following the plant’s listing, the Service and its partners began efforts
to recover and protect it.
Habitat was acquired, plants were propagated and reintroduced on new sites and
planted in strategic areas, bolstering and expanding populations. The
introduced plants quickly spread in Manatee, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Highlands,
and Hardee counties.
According to the 1989 Recovery Plan, the Service could delist the species if 20
new geographically distinct populations were established. Of the 30 new
distinct populations of the Florida golden aster, 25 now grow on
non-governmental, local, state, and federal lands protected for conservation,
lands that have management plans ultimately benefitting the habitat occupied by
the species. There are also a number of private landowners with populations of
the plant on their lands.
The Service will implement a post-delisting monitoring plan for a minimum of
five years after delisting to ensure that it remains stable.
We celebrate the visionary, innovative, and determined actions taken by Service
team members and our partners that daily, contribute to the success of the
ESA."
Via
Fix the News:
<
https://fixthenews.com/goodnews-meals-brazil-rewild-denmark-mangroves-pakistan/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
