Several environmental groups plan to sue the Navy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They want to stop the ongoing construction of a machine gun range and the relocation of 5,000 Marines to Guam.
The planned lawsuit says the relocation would result in the destruction of more than 1,200 acres of forest in a National Wildlife Refuge.
They are so-called “limestone forests” — which is a distinctive growth pattern that occurs over limestone hills.
On Guam, activists say these forests provide the last habitat for 15 endangered species. They include the Mariana crow, fruit bat, and eight-spot butterfly, the flightless Guam rail and three types of tree snails.
Also on the list are six native plants, and the håyun lågu tree, of which there is only one remaining on the island.
The Pacific Island Times reports conservation groups involved in the case include the Center for Biological Diversity, Blue Ocean Law and Save Ritidian.
They say habitat destruction by the military, which owns nearly a third of the land on Guam, has endangered many plants and animals.
They note that the introduction of the brown tree snake after World War II — likely as a stowaway in military cargo — caused the extinction of 12 of Guam’s native bird species.
The Marine Corps says it will start relocating approximately 5,000 Marines to Guam in the next few years. About 1,500 family members are also expected to move to the island.
