The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has announced new protections for North American wolverines under the Endangered Species Act amid the threat of climate change.
According to a press release, the service said it was designating the species in the contiguous United States as a threatened species.
Found in the Northern Rocky Mountains and the North Cascade Mountains in the western U.S., the North American wolverine is facing threats caused by habitat degradation and fragmentation, as well as climate change.
FWS Pacific Regional Director Hugh Morrison said in a statement that the impacts of climate change are “imperiling the North American wolverine.”
This is not the first time that the North American wolverine has been discussed as a threatened species or potentially threatened species.
The animal was looked at in 2020 when it was evaluated by the FWS, which inevitably decided it did not warrant listing.
But that’s changed, and the animal has been awarded new protections.
“Based on the best available science, this listing determination will help to stem the long-term impact and enhance the viability of wolverines in the contiguous United States,” Morrison added.