A wolverine waits (Image: Sergey Gorshkov/naturepl.com)

Survival has been a waiting game for this little critter. In 1994, conservation groups proposed that the wolverine be listed under the Endangered Species Act, but only now is the US government looking into it. That’s thanks to a landmark agreement that could release hundreds of threatened species from bureaucratic limbo.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has been repeatedly sued by groups including Wild Earth Guardians (WEG) and the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), which accuse it of being too slow to make its decisions. The FWS claims the lawsuits and petitions have tied up its resources and hampered its efforts to assess and protect species.

Now it has set out a six-year timetable to make all the outstanding decisions, covering more than 850 species. In return, WEG has promised not to sue if deadlines are missed or they disagree with the decisions, and the CBD has agreed to drop their existing lawsuits. An FWS spokesperson said the deal should end the “vicious circle” of missed deadlines and lawsuits. The legally binding agreement was approved on 9 September.

The root of the slow decision-making is a lack of political will, particularly during George W. Bush’s presidency, claims Noah Greenwald of the CBD in Portland, Oregon. This will get the programme going again, he says.