US authorities recover three species from 'endangered' list

As per the list issued, the long-nosed bat and gypsum wild buckwheat may be removed from the list of endangered species. (Representational image)

New Delhi: Authorities in the US have recovered three species from the endangered list. As per the list issued, the long-nosed bat and gypsum wild buckwheat may be removed from the list of endangered species, while Kuenzler hedgehog cactus will be downlisted to threatened.

The move reflects full recovery of the first two species and significant progress with the third, the US Fish and Wildlife Service said.

The bat, buckwheat and cactus are all found in the Southwest, a hotspot of biodiversity and a locus for habitat protection and other measures undertaken under the US Endangered Species Act for a host of species.

Among these measures, several lesser long-nosed bat maternal colonies in southern Arizona and New Mexico were gated to prevent human disturbance of the springtime homes of thousands of bats, including newborns.

In addition, the plants that the bats feed on before migrating to central and southern Mexico were given relief from intensive livestock grazing.

Likewise, some of the gravelly soils and rocky outcrops in southeastern New Mexico that provide habitat for Kuenzler hedgehog cactus were also protected, as were almost-barren gypsum soils nearby that support the gypsum wild buckwheat.

(With PTI inputs)