In Bermuda, legislation to protect the island’s endangered species has been strengthened:
Increased fines of up to $25,000 have been brought in to better protect Bermuda’s endangered species.
The move comes as the Protected Species Amendment Act was passed by the House of Assembly although the Opposition complained the new rules could be circumvented by Government without public consultation.
While all MPs agreed on the need to protect endangered species, the One Bermuda Alliance tried, and failed, to introduce an amendment to make the new law more “transparent”.
The new legislation means that instead of just one category, there are now three different categories of plants and animals that need special help to survive.
It amends an eight-year-old law which already protects Bermuda’s most threatened plants and animals, including the national bird the Cahow, the Bermuda Skink and the Spotted Eagle Ray.
Parks and Conservation Services Minister Michael Weeks said: “The amendment to the principle act allows Bermuda to better protect its endangered plants and animals while increasing the chances of successful recovery by including the public in the process.”
He noted that many rare species are under threat from habitat loss, competition from invasive species, climate change and pollution. He said the definition of what constitutes an offence under the current act is “very prohibitive” as “it restricts having in one’s possession a protected species, parts of one, their transportation and actions that would constitute maintenance”.
This, he said, “effectively stops positive interaction with certain species, for example endangered plants which would greatly benefit from the assistance of the wider public in their recovery.”
For more information read the full article from the Bermuda Royal Gazette.
Both the original 2003 Protected Species Act
and the accompanying 2007 Protected Species Order are available for download from Bermuda Laws Online.
[Photo: ecotist]
