PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 1:42 PM by Luigi

Habitat protection in Micronesia

Two items on recent moves to protect habitats in Guam and CNMI.

GUAM MILITARY LAND AVOIDS HABITAT PROTECTION

HAGATNA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, Nov. 1) – In a win for local indigenous rights activists as well as the Guam Department of Agriculture, nearly all of Guam has been spared the unpopular designation of critical habitat, according to a press release by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
About 25,000 acres, or nearly 20 percent, of Guam's land had been proposed to be designated critical habitat, but the press release said that has been cut down to 376 acres.

Critical habitat designation is a term of the Endangered Species Act that identifies a geographic area as essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species.
Though it doesn't alter the ownership of the land, it does limit certain kinds of development on that land.

Most areas of the land at issue were military land, and some are privately owned, and the designation was intended, in theory, to protect the endangered Mariana fruit bat, Mariana Crow and Guam Micronesian kingfisher.

The proposal, spurred by a lawsuit by environmental organization EarthJustice against the Fish and Wildlife Service, has been repeatedly denounced by indigenous rights activists because they do not believe the federal government should have the right to determine how indigenous people use their land. They also have said the designation would further slow the return of Guam's military-occupied lands to the Chamorro people.

ROTA CARVES OUT 6,000 ACRES FOR HABITAT

SAIPAN, CNMI (Saipan Tribune, Nov. 1) – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has designated some 6,033 acres of land on the island of Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas as “critical habitat” for three endangered Mariana Islands species.

Once the amendment to the Endangered Species Act takes effect 30 days after its publication in the Federal Register, some 463 acres of private land and 5,570 acres of public land on Rota would become critical habitat for the Mariana crow.

On Guam, however, the federal agency disclosed that only 376 acres of land out of the 24,800 acres as originally proposed would become critical habitat for the Mariana crow, Mariana fruit bat, and the Guam Micronesian kingfisher. A total of 18,815 acres that were removed from the proposed critical habitat cover military-controlled lands.



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DIVA-GIS	Monday, November 01, 2004 Posted 1:42 PM by Luigi Habitat protection in Micronesia Two items on recent moves to protect habitats in Guam and CNMI. GUAM MILITARY LAND AVOIDS HABITAT PROTECTION HAGATNA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, Nov. 1) – In a win for local indigenous rights activists as well as the Guam Department of Agriculture, nearly all of Guam has been spared the unpopular designation of critical habitat, according to a press release by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. About 25,000 acres, or nearly 20 percent, of Guam's land had been proposed to be designated critical habitat, but the press release said that has been cut down to 376 acres. Critical habitat designation is a term of the Endangered Species Act that identifies a geographic area as essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species. Though it doesn't alter the ownership of the land, it does limit certain kinds of development on that land. Most areas of the land at issue were military land, and some are privately owned, and the designation was intended, in theory, to protect the endangered Mariana fruit bat, Mariana Crow and Guam Micronesian kingfisher. The proposal, spurred by a lawsuit by environmental organization EarthJustice against the Fish and Wildlife Service, has been repeatedly denounced by indigenous rights activists because they do not believe the federal government should have the right to determine how indigenous people use their land. They also have said the designation would further slow the return of Guam's military-occupied lands to the Chamorro people. ROTA CARVES OUT 6,000 ACRES FOR HABITAT SAIPAN, CNMI (Saipan Tribune, Nov. 1) – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has designated some 6,033 acres of land on the island of Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas as “critical habitat” for three endangered Mariana Islands species. Once the amendment to the Endangered Species Act takes effect 30 days after its publication in the Federal Register, some 463 acres of private land and 5,570 acres of public land on Rota would become critical habitat for the Mariana crow. On Guam, however, the federal agency disclosed that only 376 acres of land out of the 24,800 acres as originally proposed would become critical habitat for the Mariana crow, Mariana fruit bat, and the Guam Micronesian kingfisher. A total of 18,815 acres that were removed from the proposed critical habitat cover military-controlled lands. * Comments: Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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