Page 315 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

Endangered species are a focus
of conservation efforts

The primary legislation for protecting biodiversity in the
United States is the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Enacted
in 1973, the Endangered Species Act forbids the government
and private citizens from taking actions that destroy endan-
gered species or their habitats. The ESA also forbids trade in
products made from endangered species. The aim is to pre-
vent extinctions, stabilize declining populations, and enable
populations to recover. As of 2013, there were 1118 species in
the United States listed as “endangered” and 322 more listed
as “threatened,” the status considered one notch less severe
than endangered. For about 80% of these species, government
agencies are running recovery plans to protect them and stabi-
lize or increase their populations.
The ESA has had a number of successes. Following the
1973 ban on the pesticide DDT (p. 387) and years of intensive
effort by wildlife managers, the bald eagle, peregrine falcon,
brown pelican, and other birds have recovered and are no
longer listed as endangered (Figure 11.19). Intensive manage-
ment programs with other species, such as the red-cockaded Figure 11.20 The greater sage grouse is one species whose
woodpecker (see Figure 12.15, p. 337), have held populations addition to the Endangered Species List is warranted by
steady in the face of continued pressure on habitat. Overall, science yet precluded by a lack of funding. Sage grouse, like
this displaying male, lived in sagebrush habitats throughout the
roughly 40% of declining populations have been stabilized. western United States. Their listing could complicate efforts to drill
This success comes despite the fact that the U.S. Fish and for oil and gas on these lands.
Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service,
the agencies responsible for upholding the ESA, are peren-
nially underfunded for the job. Reauthorization of the ESA Today, a number of species have been judged by scientists
faced opposition from the Republican-led Congresses in to be in need of ESA protection but have not been added to the
power from 1994 to 2006. Efforts in 2006 to weaken the ESA endangered species list because the government is not supply-
by stripping it of its ability to safeguard habitat were narrowly ing funding to help recover them. Such species are said to be
averted after 5700 scientists sent Congress a letter of protest. “warranted but precluded”; that is, their listing is warranted
by scientific research, but it is precluded by lack of resources
(Figure 11.20). This has led some environmental advocacy groups
10,000 to sue the federal government for failing to enforce the law. Ded-
icated and well-meaning Fish and Wildlife Service staff are fre-
quently caught in a no-win situation, battling lawsuits from the
8000 political left while being starved of funds by the political right.
Polls repeatedly show that most Americans support pro-
Number of pairs 4000 Endangered Species ESA places more value on the life of an endangered organ-
tecting endangered species. Yet some opponents feel that the
6000
ism than on a person’s livelihood. This has been a common
perception in the Pacific Northwest, where protection for the
Act passed and DDT
banned, 1973 northern spotted owl slowed logging in old-growth forests
and loggers began to fear for their jobs. In addition, many
2000
landowners worry that federal officials will restrict the use of
private land on which threatened or endangered species are
0 found. This has led to a practice described as “shoot, shovel,
1963 1973 1974 1981 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2006 and shut up,” among some landowners who want to conceal
Year the presence of such species on their land.
In fact, however, the ESA has stopped few development
Figure 11.19 The bald eagle’s recovery is a success story projects—and a number of its provisions and amendments
of the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. national symbol was promote cooperation with landowners. Habitat conserva-
close to extinction in the Lower 48 states in the 1960s. Following tion plans and safe harbor agreements are arrangements that
protection under the ESA and a ban on DDT in 1973, eagles began allow private landowners to harm species in some ways if they
to rebound. With its Lower-48 population reaching 10,000 pairs in
2007, the bald eagle was declared recovered and was removed voluntarily improve habitat for the species in others.
from the Endangered Species List. Data from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Today many nations have laws protecting species, although
based on annual volunteer surveys. The paucity of data after 2000 is because they are not always effective. When Canada enacted its Species
314 surveys were discontinued once it became clear the eagle was recovering. at Risk Act in 2002, the Canadian government was careful to

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