Endangered Species and the ESA

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in order to protect plant and animal species at risk of becoming extinct. President Nixon signed the bill December 28, 1973. It is administered by two federal agencies, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In March 2008, The Washington Post reported that documents showed that the Bush Administration, beginning in 2001, had erected “pervasive bureaucratic obstacles” that limited the number of species protected under the act. Species that receive protection under the ESA are classified into two categories:

Endangered Species – On the verge of vanishing from the earth. These species have become endangered due to habitat loss, exploitation, or habitat disturbance.

Threatened Species – Likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future.

To be considered for listing, the species must meet one of five criteria (section 4(a)(1)):

1. There is the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range.

2. An overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes.

3. The species is declining due to disease or predation.

4. There is an inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms.

5. There are other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence.

As of November 1, 2009, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service listed approximately 1,200 animals and 750 plants as endangered or threatened in North America. Internationally, 194 countries have signed an accord agreeing to create Biodiversity Action Plans to protect endangered and other threatened species. In the United States this plan is usually called a species Recovery Plan.

Animals on the U.S. Threatened and Endangered Species List include the grizzly bear, wood bison, manatee, sea lion, red wolf, gray wolf, ocelot, jaguar, cougar, big horn sheep, mantled howler monkey and green sea turtle. The Bald Eagle, the only eagle unique to North America, was removed from the Federal List of Endangered Species on June 28, 2007.