In a desperate attempt to prevent the construction of a retail center, the Center for Biological Diversity, the South Florida Wildlands Association, the Tropical Audubon Society are using the rare, once thought extinct Miami tiger beetle to hold up construction of a retail development from being built on a tract of pine rockland outside of Everglades National Park in southern Miami, Florida. The Miami Herland reports that three environmentalist groups are working with other organizations in order to prevent the mixed-use center’s development that is being spearheaded by Walmart. The new shopping center will include other establishments such as LA Fitness, Panera Bread and Starbucks as well as over 400 apartments.

In addition to the retail center, 20th Century Fox is also planning on building a theme park right next to the shopping center as well. Environmentalists also point out that the land that the retail location will be built on, the Pine Docklands, is considered the most endangered ecosystem in the state and provides the habitat for the tiger beetle. The three green groups made a last minute appeal to the US Wildlife Service to intervene in the matter to list the beetle as endangered. The federal agency has 90 days to respond and if they agree then the tiger beetle is protected for up to 240 days while Fish and Wildlife draws up a contingency plan and permanently lists the bug.

The property being used for development was bought by Ram Realty from the University of Miami this year for $22 million. UofM had used the property for research, respectfully, but Ram Realty President of Peter Cummings has promised to set aside at least a third of the development into four preserves.

With all those apartments, shoppers and, my goodness, another theme park, the supposed nature preserves will be forgotten and stamped out by an uncaring, greedy mass of humanity only concerned about themselves. Not only do multiple other endangered species that call the property in question home, but according to the latest predictions from numerous studies by climate experts, Miami and other parts of south Florida are threatened by rising sea levels. In light of all of this, it makes the prospect of these developments becoming a reality more bleak if not outright pointless. Don’t be surprised if the projects get tangled up in more legal wrangling to the point where they are abandoned altogether since environmentalists hate the idea of you or I being able to live comfortably and be entertained.