“I speak for the trees!”

Laws: Marine Mammal Protection Act The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, Amended 1994. The U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) protects all marine mammals, including cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), pinnipeds (seals and sea lions), sirenians (manatees and dugongs), sea otters, and polar bears within the waters of the United States.

Endangered Species Act The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is the strongest and most important federal law protecting imperiled wildlife and plants. When Congress passed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973, it recognized that our rich natural heritage is of “esthetic, ecological, educational, recreational, and scientific value to our Nation and its people.” It further expressed concern that many of our nation’s native plants and animals were in danger of becoming extinct.

CITIES The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement signed by 180 nations designed to ensure that international trade in animals and plants does not threaten their survival in the wild. The treaty was drafted in Washington, D.C. in 1973 and entered into force in 1975.