Washington,
30 September 2010 — The African Penguin (Spheniscus
demersus) has been listed as an endangered species
under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973. The listing
means the U.S. government has determined the African Penguin
is in danger of extinction throughout all of its range and
could potentially open the door to U.S. funding for international
conservation efforts for the species.

The African Penguin, a bird native to Namibia
and South Africa, has recently been listed in the Endangered
category of the IUCN Red List for 2010. It is also the only
penguin species amongst the 255 waterbird species internationally
protected under AEWA.

An International Action Plan for the African
Penguin should be developed and approved under the auspices
of the Agreement. The species is in the top of the priority
list for action planning approved by the AEWA Parties at
their fourth meeting (MOP4) in September 2008.

The U.S. Endangered Species Act listing
was adopted on 28 September by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) after a review of scientific information,
comments from the general public and peer reviewers. The
rule, which will be effective as of 28 October 2010, extends
special legal protections and opens the door to U.S. support
for conservation assistance to nations and organizations
working to preserve the African penguin and its habitats.

Granting foreign species protection under
the U.S. Endangered Species Act also means that the import
or export of any members of the species or their parts or
products is prohibited, as is their sale in interstate or
foreign commerce. The law also prohibits harassing, harming,
pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping,
capturing or collecting listed species within the United
States. The law also aims to conserve the ecosystems on
which endangered species and threatened species depend.

Further Information

• U.S.
  Law Protects African Penguin (30 September
  2010 / Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
  Department of State)
• African
  Penguin Receives Endangered Species Act Protection
  (28 September 2010 / USFWS)
• African
  Penguin Receives U.S. Endangered Species Act Protection
  (28 September 2010 / BirdLife Community)