The federally protected Florida manatee’s designated critical habitat would double to more than 1.9 million acres under a Fish and Wildlife Service proposal floated Monday.
If it survives public review, the redrawn area would become one of the largest critical habitats designated under the Endangered Species Act. It would also mark a notable victory for environmental organizations, which have pressed the Fish and Wildlife Service for years to update the existing 965,394-acre critical habitat set for the Florida manatee in 1976.
“The Service is dedicated to the recovery and protection of manatees, which face significant threats such as declining food sources and water pollution,” Mike Oetker, the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeast Region director, said in a statement.
In a related move, the Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing the new designation of 78,121 acres as critical habitat for the Antillean manatee in Puerto Rico. The Florida and Antillean manatees are sub-species of the West Indian manatee.
