Good news out of Nashville, Tennessee, as new data shows that populations of endangered Nashville crayfish are recovering after years of near-extinction, Nature World News reported. The recovery is because of concerted efforts from conservationists and local biologists.
According to the Nashville Zoo, which has been conducting annual censuses of the species and monitoring its habitat, there are over 600 crayfish species in the world, with 90 of them making their home in Tennessee — but only the Nashville crayfish has its entire range located in the greater Nashville area.
As Nashville has experienced a population boom in recent years with more and more people moving to the Music City, that has spelled bad news for the Nashville crayfish, which has seen its natural habitat of Mill Creek increasingly polluted by stormwater runoff. However, the crayfish's advocates have, in the past few years, managed to get stormwater regulations changed. Now, the stormwater runs off into bioretention areas, where it is slowly reabsorbed into the ground instead of being dumped into the creek.
As a result, the Nashville crayfish numbers have rebounded — even to the point of some saying that it should be removed from the endangered species list, although many of its advocates say that the move would result in it losing crucial protections.
"The Nashville crayfish's story is a testament to the effectiveness of environmental stewardship and the complexities involved in balancing conservation with growth," Nature World News wrote. "It serves as a reminder that even in the face of success, vigilance is necessary to ensure the continued survival of vulnerable species."
Just as humans have caused problems that have led to decreased populations of many animal species, it is also possible for humans to take actions that allow these species to recover. Some other recent examples include a rare seabird that recently returned to the coast of Chile after environmental remediation efforts, the scimitar-horned oryx, which has returned to Chad due to efforts from conservationists, and many more.
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