Work by one Landscape Conservation Cooperative helped the i’iwi, an endemic Hawaiian honeycreeper, listed as ‘threatened’ under the federal Endangered Species Act. Credit: Jack Jeffrey/AP
Scientists and officials around the US have told the Guardian that the Trump administration has withdrawn funding for a large, successful conservation program – in direct contradiction of instructions from Congress.
Unique in scale and ambition, the program comprises 22 research centers that tackle big-picture issues affecting huge swaths of the US, such as climate change, flooding and species extinction. They are known as Landscape Conservation Cooperatives – or were, because 16 of them are now on indefinite hiatus or have dissolved.
“I just haven’t seen anything like this in my almost 30 years of working with the federal government,” said a scientist at the Fish and Wildlife Service who worked for one of the LCCs and wished to remain anonymous, because federal employees were instructed not to speak with the Guardian for this story. “There is this lack of accountability.”
“Congress approved $12.5m for the existing 22 landscape […]
Another story that makes me deeply sad. I love our little planet with such a wonderous variety of creatures, plants and environments. Why do so many humans hate the natural world? Trump is the face on this mass of movement, rapacious capitalism, that seeks to monetize everything and knows the value of nothing. How have these few mega-wealthy families and corporations gained such control over a human herd of billions. Gathering more riches to themselves for what purpose and to what end? They have so much wealth now they can’t spend enough to satisfy themselves buying bigger aircraft, boats, many large homes over the world that they hardly have time to visit much less live in. Leaving behind death and destruction while scattering a few shiny babbles for the masses. Did you know trump is the only president that has never had a pet?