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African Penguin now Protected under U.S. Law

African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) / Photo: ADUWashington, 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.



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