Jaguar Habitat Campaign (JHC)

The jaguar once roamed over a broad area of the U.S. from southern California to Texas. Today, just a few of these great cats occur in Arizona and New Mexico.

Our JHC promotes restoration of the jaguar in the Southwest, with emphasis on conserving the habitat it will need to re-establish. You're invited to participate in JHC! Please contact us and visit our jaguar website. 

Wildlife Corridors, Arizona

In 2011, Life Net triggered a workgroup in Cochise County, AZ (our home base) to tackle the huge problem of habitat fragmentation resulting from poorly planned land development, highway construction, and other activities that seriously block the movement of wildlife. The "Cochise Wildlife Connectivity Workgroup" includes county residents, members of conservation organizations, and staff of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. For more in formation, contact Dr. Tony Povilitis, tpovilitis@lifenetnature.org.

Hawaiian Endangered Species 

Life Net has brought scientific expertise to bear on key issues affecting Hawaii's imperiled wildlife and ecosystems. Hawaii has the tragic distinction of being the "endangered species capitol" of the United States, home to over 30% of the nation's imperiled species. Hawaiian honeycreeper birds, sea turtles, monk seal, and a great number of endemic plants, insects, and other invertebrates are among the many species at risk of extinction. Conservation of much of what remains of Hawaii's unique native fauna and flora depends on protecting its coral reefs and on restoring its native forests.

Life Net's work in Hawaii began with a sense of urgency in mid-2008, given growing threats to Maui Island's beleaguered coral reefs. Life Net won a grant for the Maui Nui Marine Resouce Council to establish a "Maui Coral Reef Recovery Team" comprised of marine biologists and knowledgeable local citizens. The goal is to address the plight of the Island's reefs and lay out a scientifically-based course of action to save them. Dr. Tony Povilitis of Life Net serves on the Maui team, which is moving ahead with an official Coral Reef Recovery Plan for Maui. 

In 2010, Life Net prepared a petition to the US Fish & Wildlife Service to list the I'iwi (also known as the scalet honycreeper) as threatened or endangered under the national Endangered Species Act. The petition, submitted to the Service by the Center for Biological Diversity, also called for restoration of the I'iwi's native forests. The iconic Hawaiian bird  faces extinction as a result of habitat loss and disease, seriously aggrevated by climate change.

The good news is that the I'iwi is now one step closer to federal protection - In January 2011, the Service began a full status review of the species, finding that the case for listing we laid out in detail in the petition justified moving ahead quickly on a decision. 

Life Net has also urged local and state governments and the Environmental Protection Agency in Hawaii to end coastal pollution from waste-water injection wells that damage coral reefs. Check out our testimony to county, state, and federal officials aimed at expanding the scope of protection for these incredible ecosystems:

More information is available on our Publications page.

Life Net also called for stepped up endangered species conservation on Hawaii in light of the growing threat from global climate change. See the abstract of our presentation at the 2009 Hawaii Conservation Conference.