WildEarth Guardians

Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Beloved Joshua Trees Move Toward Endangered Species Act Protection

Southwestern Icon Threatened by Habitat Loss, Climate Change
Contact: Taylor Jones, (720) 443-2615, tjones@wildearthguardians.org

Washington, DC— In response to a petition by WildEarth Guardians, today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced it will review the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Multiple climate models predict severe range contractions in the next century for this iconic Southwestern species. The trees will have difficulty moving to more hospitable habitat because they reproduce and disperse so slowly.

“Joshua trees are an irreplaceable part of the Southwest and we are thrilled they are one step closer to receiving the protections they need,” said Taylor Jones, endangered species advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “Our changing climate is a threat to these magnificent trees, and they will need safeguards to ensure they are here for future generations.”  

The Southwest is a climate change “hotspot” and is already feeling the effects, with higher temperatures, longer droughts, and larger and more frequent fires. Taken together, these climate change impacts could spell disaster for Joshua trees. The trees need wet intervals to successfully reproduce and cold periods to thrive, and may take decades to recover from fires. The majority of climate models predict serious range contractions for Joshua trees; up to 90 percent of Joshua tree habitat may vanish by 2100.

“We need to address the root causes of climate change now if we want to see Joshua trees and other climate imperiled species into the future,” said Jones. “This finding is an important step toward protecting this iconic species, and we call on the Service to quickly move Joshua trees through the listing process and put in place necessary safeguards.”

Today’s finding triggers a 12-month deadline by which time the Service must review all available information and decide whether the imperiled species warrants protections. If so, the Service will propose listing the species, and within another year, finalize that listing, at which point Joshua trees would be protected under the law.

Protection under the ESA is an effective safety net for imperiled species: more than 99 percent of plants and animals protected by the law exist today. The law is especially important as a defense against the current extinction crisis; species are disappearing at a rate much higher than the natural rate of extinction due to human activities. Scientists estimate that 227 species would have gone extinct by 2006 if not for ESA protections.

Joshua Tree: Wattewyl, Creative Commons, Flickr