Guam, 8 CNMI islands eyed as ‘critical habitat’ for 22 species

By Jayvee Vallejera

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to designate the entire island of Guam and eight islands of the Northern Mariana Islands, including Saipan, Tinian and Rota, as critical habitat for nine animal species and 13 plant species.

The proposed rule, published in the Federal Register on March 24, covers a total land area of approximately 59,886 acres (24,235 hectares) across both territories.

The proposal has a comment period of 87 days that ends on June 22. There will be no public hearings, unless requested. 

The wildlife service is soliciting comments from other government agencies, the indigenous community, the scientific community, private industry or any other interested parties.

This proposal is part of a settlement agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Center for Biological Diversity. 

The center had sued USFWS in 2021, alleging that thre agency violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to designate the critical habitat for 23 Mariana Islands species.

The two later entered into a settlement agreement. 

USFWS agreed to submit the proposed critical habitat designations for 22 of the species to the Federal Register.

One species was excluded from the proposed critical habitat designation because the identified lands are exempt under a section of the ESA.

Designating a site as a critical habitat does not mean it will become off-limits. It only means that, as a site with the physical or biological features essential to the conservation of the affected species, any activity within the designated site will require special management considerations or modifications to ensure that the threatened or endangered species are protected.

USFWS is required to make the designation on the basis of the best scientific and commercial data available and after taking into consideration the designation’s economic and national security impacts.

USFWS proposes to designate the islands of Aguiguan, Alamagan, Asunción, Guam (including the island of Cocos), Pagan, Rota, Saipan, Sarigan, and Tinian within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation. 

Under the ESA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must, “to the maximum extent prudent and determinable,” designate an area as a critical habitat when it determines that any species is endangered or threatened.

The USFWS’ final designation may differ from its initial proposal. It said it will consider all comments received, as well as any information that may become available.

Based on any new information it may receive, the final designation may not include all proposed areas or may include additional areas that meet the definition of critical habitat. It may also exclude some areas if USFWS finds that doing so will not cause the species to become extinct.

It promises to explain its rationale and the basis for its final rule, including why it made changes, the agency said.

Sixteen of the Mariana Islands species—seven plants and nine animals—were previously listed as endangered species.

ADVERTISEMENT

The endangered plants are:

∙ Eugenia bryanii (no common name)

∙ Hedyotis megalantha (pao de'do', påode'du', pao doodu)

∙ Heritiera longipetiolata (ufa hålumtåno', ufa halumtånu', ufa hålomtåno')

∙ Phyllanthus saffordii(maigo' lålo')

∙ Psychotria malaspinae (åplohkåteng palao'an, åpplok hatting palao'an, aplokkating palåo'an)

∙ Solanum guamense

∙ Tinospora homosepala (no common name); 

The endangered animals are the:

∙ Pacific sheath-tailed bat (Mariana subspecies, Emballonura semicaudata rotensis; paye'ye', payesyes, fanihen gånas, paye'yi', payesyis, fanihin gånas, paischeey), 

∙ Slevin's skink ( Emoia slevini; Marianas Emoia, Mariana skink, guåli'ek hålomtåno', gholuuf, guali'ik halumtånu')

∙ Mariana eight-spot butterfly (Hypolimnas octocula marianensis; ababang, ababbang, libweibwogh)

∙ Mariana wandering butterfly (Vagrans egistina; ababang, ababbang, libweibwogh)

∙ Rota blue damselfly ( Ischnura luta; dulalas Luta)

∙ fragile tree snail ( Samoana fragilis; dengdeng, dengding, akaleha', denden)

∙ Guam tree snail ( Partula radiolata; dengdeng, dengding, akaleha', denden)

∙ humped tree snail (Partula gibba; dengdeng, dengding, akaleha', denden)

∙ Langford's tree snail (Partula langfordi; dengdeng, dengding, akaleha', denden). 

Seven of the 23 Marianas species, all plants, were previously listed as threatened. These are the: 

∙ Bulbophyllum guamense (wild onion, siboyas hålomtåno', siboyas halumtånu', siboyan hålomtåno')

∙ Dendrobium guamense (no common name)

∙ Cycas micronesica (fadang, faadang)

∙ Maesa walkeri (no common name)

∙ Nervilia jacksoniae (no common name)

∙ Tabernaemontana rotensis(no common name)

∙ Tuberolabium guamense (no common name)

Subscribe to

our digital

monthly issue