Legislation/Policy Article from All-Creatures.org



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What the Endangered Species Act Does, and Why It Matters

From Hazra Khatoon, SentientMedia.org
November 2023

The Endangered Species Act is a complex and contentious law that remains somewhat controversial as humans argue about the best ways to balance protection of endangered species with sometimes competing human interests. There are many ways to protect nature and endangered species, including taking on individual responsibility toward biodiversity. Despite its flaws, the Act is an important piece of legislation for conserving endangered species. It has saved numerous animals and plants from extinction and is critical to the maintenance of wildlife heritage.

Red Panda
Red Panda

As one of the most effective legal measures ever adopted to protect biodiversity, the Endangered Species Act is a landmark in wildlife conservation. But why does a country need legislation to save wildlife? In just 10 years, at least 160 species have gone extinct globally, including 60 plants, 75 animals and 25 fungi. Changes in climate, habitat loss and human activities are continuously pushing many species to extinction.

To bring about a change and put an end to the extinction of such species, the federal government of the United States introduced the Endangered Species Act in 1973. Today, it has a 99 percent rescue rate of endangered species. However, the actual recovery rate for the animals listed is only three percent — and just this year, 21 species were removed from the Act altogether due to extinction.

The Act is turning 50 this year; let’s have a look at how it works, and how successful it’s been in recovering wildlife.

Topics include:

  • What is the Endangered Species Act?
  • History
  • Who does the Endangered Species Act protect?
  • How does the species listing process work?
  • How is the critical habitat of species protected?
  • What are the rehabilitation and recovery plan measures?
  • What are the successes in Endangered Species recovery?
  • Do zoos help conserve endangered species?
  • Why was the Endangered Species Act of 1973 so controversial?
  • The bottom line

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