California's Santa Cruz Cypress Recovering, Ready for Downlisting

California's Santa Cruz Cypress Recovering, Ready for Downlisting

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Reclassifying Tree as "Threatened"


SANTA CRUZ, Calif.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed today to reclassify the Santa Cruz cypress from endangered to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. The tree was protected in 1987 due to threats to its habitat, but now the habitat for all five populations is secure.

“The remarkable rebound of this precious little California evergreen is the latest proof that the Endangered Species Act puts species on the path to recovery”, said Angela Crane, endangered species organizer at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Before the Santa Cruz cypress was protected under the Act, it faced intense pressure from development and nonnative plants that ultimately stifled its ability to repopulate its historic habitat. Through the cooperative efforts of local, state and federal agencies, most of the trees now live in fully protected areas. The recovery plan developed by federal scientists determined that the cypress, which now numbers between 33,000 to 44,000 trees, could be downlisted once all five of its populations were protected from threats that include development, nonnative species and unauthorized trailbuilding. Though the exact number of trees at the time of listing was unknown, the Service estimated there were only around 2,300.

The cypress is found only in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, near the Bonny Doon and Eagle Rock areas of Santa Cruz County. The compact coniferous tree with dense, cone-producing branches thrives in coastal chaparral communities above the fog belt.

Opponents of the Endangered Species Act unfairly criticize the law for recovering too few species, failing to acknowledge that most protected species are still many years away from their projected recovery dates. Today’s announcement reinforces what studies have already shown — that the Endangered Species Act has not only prevented the extinction of 99 percent of the plants and animals under its protection, but has consistently helped those species to recover.

The success of the Act is evidenced in a 2012 report published by the Center called “On Time, On Target: How the Endangered Species Act Is Saving America’s Wildlife,” (see: http://www.esasuccess.org/ ) which evaluated 110 species and found that nearly all the animals and plants are recovering on time to meet federal goals.


Santa Cruz cypress photo by Kristina Barry, USFWS.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 625,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2013/santa-cruz-cypress-08-30-2013.html


http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/