Introduction to the Endangered Species Act

Endangered Species Act of

1973

Mark Ostendorf

History Interaction between people and nature

Commerce in the United States Wildlife exploitation—Hunting and Trading Agriculture—Removing and disturbing vital habitat Community growth—Infringing upon habitat Non-Native species—Habitat disruption

Kudzu Zebra Mussel

What are the implications of human interaction with the environment?

Extinction The eradication of species

Passenger Pigeon

The Near-Extinction of Prominent or Charismatic Species American Bison Bald Eagle North American Wolf Whooping Crane

Ecological Imbalance

The Environmental Movement Early Contributors

John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold

Silent Spring—Rachel Carson (1962) The Population Bomb—Paul Ehrlich (1968) Limits to Growth—Club of Rome (1972)

By the 1970’s, the public had become increasingly aware of its affect on the environment

Relevant Previous Legislation National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 Clean Water Act of 1972 Clean Air Act of 1970

Bald Eagle Act of 1940 Endangered Species Preservation Act of

1966 Endangered Species Conservation Act of

1969

Endangered Species Act of 1973 The Endangered Species Act (ESA)

provides a program for the conservation of threatened and endangered plants and animals and the habitats in which they are found. Protection and Recovery

An updatable list of “Endangered” and “Threatened” species was created.

Endangered vs. Threatened “Endangered” means a species is in

danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

“Threatened” means a species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.

Endangered Species Act of 1973 Federal agencies, in consultation with the

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and/or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service, must ensure that their actions are not likely to jeopardize listed species or their habitats

Endangered Species Act of 1973 The FWS of the Department of the Interior

maintains the worldwide list of endangered and threatened organisms.

Species include birds, insects, fish, reptiles, mammals, crustaceans, flowers, grasses, and trees.

Anyone can petition FWS to include a new species on this list.

“Taking” Listed Animals The ESA makes it unlawful for a person to

“take” a listed animal without a permit.

Defined as “to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct.”

International Species Protection The ESA also implements U.S. participation

in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 175-nation agreement designed to prevent species from becoming

endangered or extinct due to international trade.

Export/Import by permit only A species may require a permit under the ESA,

CITES, or both.

The End

References EPA. Summary of the Endangered Species Act: 16

U.S.C. §1531 et seq. (1973). http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/esa.html

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. ESA Basics: More Than 30 Years of Conserving Endangered Species. http://www.fws.gov/Endangered/factsheets/ESA_basics.pdf

Bald Eagle. Don Pfizer Bison Out on the Range. Ryan Hagerty