Court Makes Deadline for Penguin Decision

Penguins may finally be getting the official protection they need. A US federal judge this week approved a settlement between the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the latest move in a long legal battle that includes a petition in 2006 and a lawsuit in 2007, both filed by CBD. The settlement mandates that the Service must decide by December 19, 2008, whether the penguins require protection under the Endangered Species Act. Scientists widely agree that they do, as their numbers have been dwindling due to the effects of global warming, such as higher water temperatures and melting sea ice, as well as destructive fishing practices.

GET INFORMED

• Read "March of the penguins: Court urges decision on protection" (Scientific American, September 9, 2008)

GET INVOLVED

• Sign a petition calling for the establishment of Antarctica as an animal sanctuary by 2018, to help protect the Adélie penguins, 65% of which have disappeared in the last 25 years.
• Adopt a penguin from Defenders of Wildlife for $20
• Sign the "We Can Solve It" petition for a global treaty on climate change
• Download the Environmental Defense Fund's "Pocket Eco-Friendly Fish Selector" to make choices that help prevent overfishing

photo courtesy *christopher*, Creative Commons