Ridges and valleys of northern and southern Arizona will have new federal protections for the sake of endangered cactus species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated about 36,000 acres of critical habitat for the the Fickeisen plains cactus in Coconino and Mohave counties and the acuna cactus in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties.

Both these small species can live only in Arizona or in the acuna’s case, in Arizona and in Mexico’s Sonora state. Both have suffered due to drought and rising temperatures.

“It broadens essentially a yellow-flag zone to the federal agencies,” Fish and Wildlife spokesman Jeff Humphrey said.

“These important protections will guard against disturbances of the rocky grounds where these cacti grow,” said Michael Robinson, a Southwest representative for the Center for Biological Diversity, which sued to force habitat designation for these and other species. “But that’s not enough,” he said.

By Premji