The Trump administration is facing a lawsuit for failing to protect 23 endangered species found in Micronesia.

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of intent to sue the Trump administration for failing to protect endangered species in the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Republic of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. The wildlife involved includes 14 plants and nine animals, a release from the nonprofit stated.

The species, such as the Pacific sheath-tailed bat and Slevin’s skink, desperately need protected habitat, the release stated. They are at immediate risk from agricultural and urban sprawl, military expansion and training, invasive species, fire, typhoons, sea-level rise and climate change.

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“Unique Pacific Island species like the Mariana eight-spot butterfly needed habitat protection years ago, but they’re not getting it from the Trump administration,” said Ryan Shannon, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The federal government and different military branches have been responsible for a lot of the problems on these islands. Our nation has a duty to protect the natural heritage of these special places.”

In 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed 23 plant and animal species in greater Micronesia as endangered or threatened. The Endangered Species Act requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to designate critical habitat for any threatened and endangered species, but the agency has failed to designate critical habitat for any of these species.

“Species with designated critical habitat are twice as likely to be recovering as those without it,” Shannon said. “To save these animals and plants from extinction, we have to protect the places where they live.”

Listing a species as endangered or threatened is just the first step in ensuring a species’ survival and recovery.

Critical habitat protections would prohibit federal actions that would destroy or harm such habitat and will help conserve what remains of these species’ limited native range, the release stated.

Threatened species

The Pacific sheath-tailed bat, a tiny insectivorous, sac-winged bat is already extinct from Guam and Vanuatu, the release stated. Across its remaining range, it is threatened by habitat destruction from nonnative species, development, military training, urbanization, typhoons and climate change.

The Mariana skink, or Slevin's skink, is extinct from Guam and the rest of its range is threatened. Military training puts the skink at risk of direct harm from live-fire training exercises, the release stated.

The Mariana eight-spot butterfly, which is native to Guam and Saipan, is no longer found in Saipan. It's reliant on two host plant species, one of which is used as a native medicinal plant to treat various ailments.

In addition to being threatened by parasitic wasps, the butterfly’s habitat is similarly threatened by nonnative species, development, military training, urbanization, typhoons and climate change.

The Guam tree snail, found only on island, was a once-common, air-breathing snail now critically endangered. The tree snail is threatened by fire and over-collection for commercial and recreational purposes, as well as other factors.

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The Bulbophyllum guamense, an orchid native to Guam, is part of the Guam Plant Extinction Prevention Program. The orchid has a greenish-yellow flower that smells faintly of carrion.

In the past, the plant occurred in common large mat-like formations on trees. However, in addition to habitat-based threats, the orchid is being hurt by predation from non-native slugs.