AUDIO: Why the Sonoran desert tortoise won’t be listed as endangered

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: MoraMedina-SonoraDesertTortoise-DeniedESA
  • Runtime: 2:08
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BYLINE:  Alexandra Mora/Cronkite News 

The Sonoran desert tortoise has been denied endangered species status for a second time. That’s after environmental advocates have pushed for 14 years to protect an iconic species of the desert southwest.

Cronkite News Alexandra Mora Medina explains what this means. 

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THE SONORAN DESERT TORTOISE WITH IT’S HIGH DOMED BROWN SHELL  IS NATIVE TO ARIZONA AND SONORA, MEXICO.   

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“That’s the part of the desert that has saguaros, lots of boulders, rocky habitats, generally on slopes…”

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THAT’S THOMAS JONES. HE’S THE AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES MANAGER FOR THE ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT. HE SAYS THE TORTOISE CAN LIVE BETWEEN 70 TO 80 YEARS. BUT GETTING TO THAT AGE CAN BE TRICKY BECAUSE ABOUT 1 PERCENT OF EGGS A YEAR SURVIVE. 

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“It’s a rough life, especially when you’re starting out as a little tiny, two inch long morsel that everything wants to eat.”

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IN FEBRUARY THE U-S FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE DETERMINED THE TORTOISES DID  NOT WARRANT ENDANGERED SPECIES PROTECTION. THE AGENCY NOTED THE TORTOISES’S POPULATION IS STABLE AND ESTIMATED TO BE IN THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS. 

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“We are   hopeful that they’re correct.” 

THATS CYNDI TUELL. SHE DIRECTS THE WESTERN WATERSHED PROJECTS IN ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO.

“I’m worried that they may have put the tortoise on a collision course with extinction, because I think they really minimized some of the threats the tortoise faces, especially from livestock grazing.” 

TUELL WORRIES THAT LIVESTOCK WILL EAT THE SAME PLANTS THAT THE TORTOISE RELIES ON. BUT THAT’S NOT THE ONLY THREAT. 

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“These include non native vegetation, altered fire regimes, habitat conversion, habitat fragmentation, climate change, and what we refer to as human tourist interactions.”

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THATS JEFF SERVOSS, A BIOLOGIST WITH THE U-S FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE. SERVOSS WORKED ON THE ASSESSMENT OF THE SONORAN DESERT TORTOISE FOR A YEAR. HE SAYS EVEN THOUGH THE TORTOISE DOESN’T WARRANT PROTECTION NOW, THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE ICONIC REPTILE.  

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“We are committed to continuing to work with other federal, state, tribal and private partners to monitor and conserve the species into the future. So the story is not done. And we’ll continue to look after this, this critter.

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THE CONSERVATION OF THE DESERT SONORAN TORTOISE HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE THE 1980S. THAT’S WHEN THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE DETERMINED THE TORTOISE COULD BE A CANDIDATE FOR ENDANGERED STATUS. 

ALEXANDRA MORA MEDINA, CRONKITE NEWS