Wolverines Listed as Threatened Species in U.S. Amid Climate Change Threats

With only 300 remaining in the wild, the species faces significant habitat loss due to global warming, prompting federal protection measures.

Wolverines in the contiguous United States will be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, providing them with additional federal protections.
An estimated 300 wild wolverines remain in the Lower 48 states, inhabiting the Rocky and Cascade mountains of Wyoming, Washington, Montana, Idaho and Oregon.
Global warming is causing the snowy, high-elevation habitats that wolverines rely on to melt, threatening their survival.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates wolverines could lose 23 percent of their habitat within the next 30 years because of climate change—and 63 percent over the next 75 years.
Conservationists warn that federal protection may be too little, too late, but it is currently the only tool available to help the species.