KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, said it intends to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in an attempt to bring more attention to a rare salamander only found in a few East Tennessee caves.
The Berry Cave salamander spends its entire life in caves and is dependent on clean water. It has only been found in isolated caves across four counties, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center.
The center said survey results show the population of Berry Cave salamanders found in Meads Quarry Cave has fallen by at least 60% over the past decade.
“Salamanders’ permeable skin makes them extremely sensitive to pollutants in their environment,” Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Associate Attorney Liz Rasheed said. “The Berry Cave salamander’s increasing rarity raises alarm bells not only for the species itself but also for the health of the delicate cave ecosystems it inhabits.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the Berry Cave salamander as a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act in 2019, the center said.
"At the time of the denial, prior regional leadership in the agency’s Southeastern office had directed staff to implement a quota system setting annual targets for denying species protections. This quota could have influenced the Berry Cave salamander decision and resulted in other, already-listed species being stripped of protection," the Southern Environmental Law Center said in a press release.
A 60-day Notice of Intent to Sue is required under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has that amount of time to correct the violations listed in the lawsuit. If the corrections are not made, a lawsuit can move forward, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center.
“These special little salamanders can’t adapt quickly enough to the multitude of threats they face and urgently need the strong protections of the Endangered Species Act,” Center for Biological Diversity Associate Attorney Chelsea Stewart-Fusek said. “The Service’s poorly supported denial of protection for the Berry Cave salamander could spell its demise in the face of climate change and unchecked pollution.”
