Sprawl: Wildlife Enemy Number One

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF)recently released a report, Paving Paradise: Sprawl's Impact on Wildlifeand Wild Places in California, which suggests that growth is the primary threat to endangered species in California. Although logging, farming, and dams are well known as threats to wildlife, according to the report it is actually urban sprawl with its accompanying habitat destruction that is most dangerous to native animals and plants. Builders and developers question the accuracy of the report and are quick to point out that the state's dire need for housing must be considered before taking such a strong stance against development. Some wildlife experts maintain that it is impossible to say that one factor is "most" responsible for the decline of species, but federal officials and others support the findings in the report.

Thanks to California 2000 Project