Two California species saved


Santa Cruz Island dudleya

Santa Cruz Island dudleya

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing two Channel Islands plants from the endangered species list on Nov. 30 because they have successfully recovered.

The island bedstraw and Santa Cruz Island dudleya were protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1997 because of grazing, trampling and soil erosion caused by sheep and feral pigs.

Once the plants were protected, sheep and feral pigs were removed from the islands, which benefited not just the two rare plants but the entire ecosystem.

“The Endangered Species Act has saved the lives of 99% of the plants and animals under its care, including these two beautiful California plants,” said Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity.

“Recovery can take decades, but the investment is worth it to safeguard the biodiversity we all depend on,” Curry said.

Island bedstraw is a 3-foot-tall woody shrub with small greenish white flowers. At the time of listing there were 19 known sites and around 600 individual plants. In recent surveys there were 39 sites and more than 15,700 plants.

Santa Cruz Island dudleya, also known as Santa Cruz Island liveforever, is a succulent perennial known from only one population on the westernmost tip of Santa Cruz Island in Santa Barbara County.

Since the plant’s listing, the population has fluctuated from 40,000 to 200,000 individuals and has stabilized at 120,000 with an increase in distribution.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has developed a monitoring plan to ensure the plants continue to thrive. This is important for the dudleya, whose single population remains vulnerable to sea-level rise.

The bedstraw and dudleya will join more than 50 species of plants and animals that have recovered under federal protection, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons, humpback whales, Coastal California sunflowers and island foxes.