Cal Matters. (October 9, 2019) “California must act to protect mountain lions” Retrieved November 5, 2019, 

https://calmatters.org/commentary/cougar-protection/

The organization Center for Biological Diversity is petitioning for state officials to put mountain lions on the California Endangered Species Act with the steady decrease in population specifically due to vehicle hits. The southern and central coast cougars are estimated to go completely extinct in the region within the next few decades without immediate federal protections. The ever-growing infrastructure in California has led to significant habitat fragmentation among different native species like the mountain lion and has taken a toll on the state’s biodiversity as a whole. The cougars are important to controlling the deer population within California and in turn helping to reduce overgrazing as well as mitigating California’s tick problem on the deer population. 

The article suggested the possibility of constructing a wildlife crossing bridge across the freeways than have affected the lion population. As with similar other environmental projects, the issue with this plant seems to be the lack of funding that the organization is recieving. In general, there needs to be more public funding or tax dollars towards environmental issues, maybe not specifically the bridge, as it is not just an issue that certain groups should advocate for because in reality it affects everyone in some way or another. Mountain lions are a prime example of a species that have huge impacts on other wildlife as well as helping to improve general public safety. It’s important to maintain a biodiverse ecosystem with a large richness of species and an evenly-distributed population of species. Not only will saving the coastal cougar help Calfironia’s biodiversity by protecting an endangered species, but it will also preserve the numerous of other species that are affected by the mountain lions.