Center for Biological Diversity

Center for Biological Diversity
Name	Center for Biological Diversity
Formation	1989
Type	Nonprofit environmental organization
Headquarters	Tucson, Arizona
Region served	United States

Center for Biological Diversity The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization focused on species conservation, habitat protection, and environmental law. Founded in 1989, it uses litigation, scientific petitioning under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and policy campaigns to influence federal and state agencies such as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The organization has been active in high-profile disputes involving entities like the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and the Department of the Interior while collaborating with groups including the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Defenders of Wildlife.

History

The organization was established in 1989 in Tucson, Arizona amid conservation debates involving the Sonoran Desert, Baja California, and endangered taxa such as the California condor and Mexican wolf. Early activities intersected with regulatory frameworks like the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and environmental milestones including the Earth Summit and the promulgation of rules by the Environmental Protection Agency. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s it expanded campaigns to regions including the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin, and Gulf of Mexico, engaging with controversies over projects such as the Oak Flat land exchange and disputes involving the Bureau of Reclamation and Department of Energy land-use decisions.

Mission and Programs

The organization's mission emphasizes protecting biodiversity, safeguarding imperiled species such as the spotted owl, foxes of the Channel Islands, and sea turtles, and preserving habitats across landscapes like the Mojave Desert, Chihuahuan Desert, and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Programs span scientific petitioning under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, campaigning against fossil fuel projects such as proposals in the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve, opposing oil shale and coal mining developments, and promoting policy reforms within institutions like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Congress. It operates recovery efforts for taxa affected by events such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and collaborates with academic partners at institutions like University of Arizona, University of California, Berkeley, and Yale University.

Legal and Policy Advocacy

The organization leverages administrative law avenues including petitions to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and litigation invoking the Administrative Procedure Act and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It has filed suits involving federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and National Park Service, challenging actions tied to infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, Border Wall construction, and Offshore drilling leases overseen by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Policy advocacy has engaged legislators in the United States Congress and policymakers in the Department of the Interior and Environmental Protection Agency to advance protections under statutes such as the National Environmental Policy Act and international agreements like the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Litigation and Notable Cases

Litigation efforts include cases before the United States District Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States on matters ranging from protections for the desert tortoise to challenges to federal approvals for projects like the Gulf oil leases linked to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Notable cases involved species petitions and listings under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 for organisms including the tehachapi slender salamander, pika, and Sonoran pronghorn. The organization has also been a petitioner in cases addressing federal rulemaking by agencies such as the National Marine Fisheries Service and enforcement actions against corporations like Chevron Corporation and ExxonMobil when associated with habitat harm.

Conservation Campaigns and Species Protection

Campaigns have targeted species across taxa: vertebrates such as the California condor, red wolf, and Pacific walrus; invertebrates like the Karner blue butterfly; and plants including the sagebrush steppe flora. Regional campaigns have focused on ecosystems such as the Mojave National Preserve, Gulf of California, and Bering Sea coastline, opposing developments tied to entities like the Department of Defense and proposals such as the Oak Flat land exchange. Recovery efforts often intersect with public land designations like wilderness areas, national monuments such as the Bears Ears National Monument, and international migratory protections under treaties like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The organization is structured with a board of directors, executive staff, attorneys, scientists, and campaigners, and operates regional offices in locations including Tucson, Arizona, Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco, California. Funding sources historically include foundation grants from entities such as the MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and philanthropic support tied to donors associated with philanthropic institutions like the Packard Foundation and David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Financial and operational oversight interacts with regulatory filings such as those submitted to the Internal Revenue Service and reporting expectations under state charity regulators like the California Attorney General.

Criticism and Controversies

The organization has faced criticism from stakeholders including industry groups like the National Association of Home Builders, political figures in the United States Congress, and state officials in jurisdictions such as Arizona and Alaska for its use of litigation and its positions on land-use and energy development. Controversies have involved debates over listing priorities under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, alleged impacts on resource development tied to projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, and disputes with other conservation organizations such as the Nature Conservancy about strategies for land protection. Media coverage in outlets such as The New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times has documented both successes and disputes over tactics and policy outcomes.

Category:Environmental organizations based in the United States