BREAKING NEWS
Petition Filed to Protect Ghost Orchids Under Endangered Species Act
Monday, January 24th, 2022
Today, January 24, 2022, The Institute for Regional Conservation, Center for Biological Diversity, and National Parks Conservation Association filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to list the imperiled Florida-native ghost orchid, Dendrophylax lindenii, as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and to designate critical habitat concurrent with listing.
The ghost orchid is an icon of beauty and nature’s abundance,” said George Gann, executive director at The Institute for Regional Conservation. “It’s long demise in southern Florida and Cuba, in part due to its immense popularity, is a bellwether of things to come. We can do nothing and watch another species go extinct in the wild, or we can act now to protect and restore this flagship orchid and its wild habitats. The Florida we envision includes a restored Greater Everglades ecosystem with all of its biological diversity, including the ghost orchid.
