Representative Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) has introduced a bill to increase funding for conservation efforts of plant and animal species within the United States.
Specifically, the Extinction Prevention Act creates four separate funds of $5 million per year through 2032 for conservation work to preserve flora and fauna found throughout the United States.
For instance, 29 species of North American butterflies are listed as endangered, yet little has been done to preserve their populations. Similarly, freshwater mussels (mollusks similar to clams and oysters) are especially imperiled, with 70% of all 300 native species considered endangered or threatened.
The plant kingdom is not immune, especially in Hawaii, where nearly 400 plant species are threatened or endangered, to the point that over 200 plant species have less than 50 specimens still living in the wild.
"As the loss of biodiversity accelerates at an alarming rate, we cannot afford to keep treating conservation as an afterthought," said Rep. Grijalva in a press release. "The Extinction Prevention Act makes long-overdue investments in some of the most imperiled and overlooked species in our country, from North American butterflies to Southwest desert fish that are uniquely adapted to survive in some of the harshest environments on Earth."
"In Arizona and across the Southwest, these native fish species are already facing devastating threats from drought, water scarcity, habitat destruction, and climate change," Rep. Grijalva continued. "We have a responsibility to future generations to make sure we do not lose these species forever."
Similarly, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who introduced the Senate companion bill, said, "This legislation recognizes that saving wildlife from extinction requires more than just rhetoric—real resources are essential. Endangered species and their habitats can be sustained, but only if we back words with action."
As Grijalva seeks to preserve these species in dire straits, Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ) argued in September that the Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) is no longer endangered, and thus warrants removal from the Endangered Species List.
