Lawsuit gives rare southern salamander a shot at survival

With pink, feathery gills and an oar-like tail, the Berry Cave salamander is one of Tennessee’s most unique species. It’s also one of the rarest – the salamander is found in just a handful of isolated caves in East Tennessee, and in several of these caves only one salamander has ever been observed. Now, SELC and the Center for Biological Diversity are suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help protect these special salamanders from extinction.

Berry Cave salamanders are under immense pressure from East Tennessee’s unprecedented growth. They are extremely sensitive to water quality, and pollution caused by the area’s rapid development threatens their ability to survive. More than half of the caves where Berry Cave salamanders have been found are in Knox County, the second-fastest growing county in the state. 

The Berry Cave salamander is found nowhere else on earth, and its populations are dwindling in the face of rapid development and a changing climate.

Liz Rasheed, senior associate attorney

Even the largest observed populations of the Berry Cave salamander are quickly declining. Survey results indicate that a population found in Knoxville’s Meads Quarry Cave — historically one of the salamander’s relative strongholds — has fallen by more than 60 percent since the early 2000s. 

Despite dwindling population numbers and an obvious need for protections, the Fish and Wildlife Service recklessly removed the Berry Cave salamander as a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act in 2019. The surprising decision contradicted earlier determinations by the agency that found the salamander warranted protection. 

That’s why SELC, on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, is challenging the agency’s decision to deny Endangered Species Act protections for the Berry Cave salamander.   

“The Berry Cave salamander is found nowhere else on Earth, and its populations are dwindling in the face of rapid development and a changing climate,” SELC senior associate attorney Liz Rasheed said.  “This lawsuit seeks to correct an egregious error that puts this incredible salamander at an even greater risk of extinction.” 

“The rapid decline of these special salamanders means we’re not doing enough to protect Tennessee’s water quality and special places,” said Chelsea Stewart-Fusek, an associate attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Endangered species protections would give the Berry Cave salamander a fighting chance at survival and provide funding for improving East Tennessee’s water quality.”   

The Fish and Wildlife Service’s denial came at a time when the agency’s prior regional leadership had directed staff to implement a quota system that set annual targets for denying species protections. This quota may have inappropriately influenced the Berry Cave salamander decision. 

In February, the Southern Environmental Law Center and Center for Biological Diversity sent a letter to the Fish and Wildlife Service notifying the agency of their intent to sue. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and asks the court to vacate the 2019 ‘not warranted’ determination for the Berry Cave salamander.