The Endangered Species Act 1973, 1982, 1985, 1988 By: Jillian Strockis
The Endangered Species Act The bill was signed in 1973 by President Nixon Main goal is to protect species from extinction and the harm of economic growth and other human activities The ESA’s job is... - prevent extinction - species survival & recovery - delisting - managing the state endangered species list - determine if endangered vs. threatened
Administration & Enforcement The ESA is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service The NOAA is responsible for marine species while the FWS is responsible for freshwater fish and all other species To be considered endangered or threatened, the ESA considers the following: Destruction of the species habitat An overutilization of the species for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes Species population declination due to predation or disease There is an inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms Natural or manmade factors affecting its future existence
Amendments The 1988 amendment: requires protection and monitoring of species that have recovered, to prevent future threats The 1982 amendment: the status of a species is determined only by the biological information not including economic effects The 1985 amendment: Secretary must implement the Western Convention which is the protection of migratory birds and wild plants