Endangered Species Act Importance

The Degrading Importance of the Endangered Species Act

The purpose of the Endangered Species Act is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystem upon which they depend on. Since 1973 the Endangered Species Act has saved endangered and threatened species from extinction. The Endangered Species Act, also known as the ESA, is a list of approximately 2,195 endangered or threatened species. For a species to be considered endangered and listed onto the ESA, the species has to be in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range and considered threatened if it is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. The Endangered Species Act still has significance today; it is an important law in
Some of America’s most iconic species, such as the bald eagle, brown pelican, and American alligator, were rescued from the brink of extinction due to the Endangered Species Act. Populations have soared thanks to the ESA. There has been a decrease in extinctions through out the United States with the benefits of endangered species being listed. “A Center study of all endangered species in the northeastern United States found that 93 percent increased or remained stable since being placed on the endangered list” (“The Endangered Species Act Works”). However, throughout the many decades the acts importance and purpose has weakened. To enhance the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act major improvements need to be made. We can recover the importance of the ESA by defeating anti-wildlife bills, allowing the court system to take the act more seriously, determinate human-caused extinction from
Unfortunately, anti-environment lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced a bill that could rightly be called the “Extinction Act” (“Protect the Endangered Species Act”). This bill would eliminate the Endangered Species Act and put imperiled species at a greater risk. If anti-wildlife lawmakers get the Extinction Act passed, the ESA’s vital protection would be cast aside. These are people who are corrupt in believing that wildlife is a minor importance in our society, and believe that laws should not be set to protect imperiled species. Therefore, as a society, we should fight to oppose this harmful bill and any other legislations that hurt imperiled wildlife. “The Extinction Act would harm imperiled species by automatically removing them from the lists of endangered and threatened species after five years, whether or not they have recovered. This allows politicians to win over science by requiring that state governors give consent on what species can be listed under the Endangered Species Act. Resulting in undermining citizens’ ability to enforce the ESA in court and to help protect imperiled species by filing citizen listing petitions.” (“Protect the Endangered Species Act”) This is only the beginning of a damaged society, anti-environment lawmakers are actively seeking new ways to undermine the Endangered Species Act and advance their supporters in destructive and polluting industries.