Abigail Adams -
U.S. officials want to save an elusive flower found in remote stretches of Florida swamps as it faces the possibility of extinction amid climate change.
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that the "ghost orchid" is on a list of candidates worthy of protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The perennial flower is currently being threatened by a number of factors, including "sea level rise and hurricanes," according to findings published Wednesday.
The ghost orchid's population "has declined by more than 90% globally," according to a joint press release from the three organizations — the Institute for Regional Conservation, the National Parks Conservation Association and the Center for Biological Diversity — behind a Jan. 24 petition that kicked off the process of considering the flower for federal protection.
George Gann, executive director at The Institute for Regional Conservation, said the move would "help us not only to save this icon of beauty from extinction but allow for recovery work to commence."
"Preventing extinction is the lowest conservation bar; our goal must be full recovery," Gann added.
RHONA WISE/AFP via Getty© Provided by People
Earlier this year, only an estimated 1,500 ghost orchid plants were left in Florida, according to Tuesday's release.
Melissa Abdo, a regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association, told ABC News that fewer than 750 mature orchids remained in the wild in the U.S. prior to Hurricane Ian. (It's still unclear just how much damage the storm caused to the flower's population, she added.)
The "iconic" flower's survival is put in jeopardy each time a hurricane hits the Sunshine State, Abdo explained.
"Park staff and conservationists alike want to do all they can to protect this really rare and beautiful plant," she told ABC News. "They need more help."
In addition to climate change, the ghost orchid is also threatened by "pest insects" and "competition from invasive plants," as well as the "poaching and overutilization of recreational areas."
For the next year, officials will review factors affecting the ghost orchid population to determine if the flower qualifies as a threatened or endangered species under federal law.
Elise Bennett, deputy Florida director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in Tuesday's press release that she hopes federal officials will approve protections "before it's too late" for the ghost orchid, which played a key role the Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep film Adaptation as well as the nonfiction book it was based on, The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean.
"The ghost orchid is a testament to how biodiversity can have a monumental impact on our collective spirit and imagination," Bennett said of the "rare and cryptic" flower.
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