KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, today notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service it intends to sue over the agency’s denial of Endangered Species Act protections to East Tennessee’s imperiled Berry Cave salamander.

Berry Cave salamanders have feathery pink gills and spend their entire lives in a small number of isolated caves located across East Tennessee. They are dependent on clean water and threatened by climate change, pollution and development.

“These special little salamanders can’t adapt quickly enough to the many threats they face and they urgently need the Endangered Species Act’s strong safeguards,” said Chelsea Stewart-Fusek, an associate attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Fish and Wildlife Service’s poorly supported decision to deny protection to the Berry Cave salamander could spell their demise in the face of climate change and unchecked pollution.”

The salamander’s already small populations are declining quickly. A population found in Knoxville’s Meads Quarry Cave, for example, is believed to have fallen by at least 60% over the past decade. In several of the caves where the salamander has been recorded only one individual has ever been observed. Rapid development in east Tennessee puts the salamander at an even greater risk of extinction.

Despite the Berry Cave salamander’s dwindling numbers, in 2019 the Service removed the animal from a list of candidates for protection under the Endangered Species Act. This surprising decision disregarded the salamander’s precarious status and contradicted the agency’s earlier determinations that the salamander warranted protection as an endangered species.

At the time of the denial, prior regional leadership in the agency’s Southeastern office had directed staff to implement a quota system setting annual targets for denying species protections. This quota could have influenced the Berry Cave salamander decision and resulted in other, already-listed species being stripped of protection.

“Salamanders’ permeable skin makes them extremely sensitive to pollutants in their environment,” said Liz Rasheed, a senior associate attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “The Berry Cave salamander’s increasing rarity raises alarm bells not only for the species itself but also for the health of the delicate cave ecosystems it inhabits.”

A 60-day notice of intent to sue is required under the Endangered Species Act. The letter outlines the conservation groups’ arguments and gives the Service 60 days to correct its violations. If the agency refuses, the conservation groups can move forward with a lawsuit.