ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

The Endangered Species Act







The Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 was established in the U.S. to protect species facing possible extinction, but it only covers native species and the extent to which they are protected is extremely limited. In 1969, the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and Defense passed the Endangered Species Conservation Act to prevent a mass extinction event in certain species. The use of endangered species by humans for food, fur, and other commercial uses was outlawed by this act and by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. In 1973, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora was implemented to cut back on the trade of plants and animals in trouble. The 1973 Endangered Species Act is one of the most significant environmental laws in America and defines endangered or threatened species, puts plants and invertebrates under protection, requires federal agencies to start programs to conserve important habitats, creates a wide umbrella of laws against hunting for endangered species, and matches contributions from individual states towards the project. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are responsible for the enforcement of the Endangered Species Act.






Scientific Research






Scientists and the general population are also worried that if the destruction of biodiversity continues at the current rate, a mass extinction event will eventually take place. Many species go extinct before there is time to save them. Without protection, resources like global fisheries and future medicines may be lost forever unless adequate policy, scientific research, and individual actions can prevent further loss.