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December 28 marked the 30th anniversary of the Endangered
Species Act. In the 30 years since this law was passed by
Congress and signed into law by President Nixon, it has been
essential to the protection of species on the verge of
becoming extinct.
The grizzly bear, Mexican spotted owl, southwestern willow
flycatcher, Yuma clapper rail, piping plover, bald eagle,
California condor, green sea turtle, lynx, American
alligators--these are just a few examples of species whose
protection and continuation has depended on the ESA.
Currently, 1263 plants and animals in the U.S. and
another 558 foreign species are listed under the ESA.
In various cases, species have escaped extinction, and
populations have stabilized or significantly rebounded due to
the protections of the ESA.
Now the ESA itself is endangered.
For the past three years, the Bush Administration has been
working to undermine and remove the protections of the ESA.
The Bush administration has listed fewer species under
the ESA than any other administration--24 compared to 521
under Clinton and 234 under Bush I.
The administration has specifically attacked Critical
Habitat (the designation of the
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area essential to the conservation of endangered
species), removing a total of 42 million acres from
designation.
At the same time, executive rule changes are being used to
reduce the authority of the Fish and Wildlife Service to
oversee wildlife management on federal lands.
Other rule changes are attempting to allow the
importation of hunting trophies of internationally endangered
species and the hunting of endangered species inside the U.S.
Perhaps most effective, the administration has deliberately
under-funded the ESA, asking each year for only a portion for
the budget required to list new species and designate Critical
Habitat, despite the fact that Congress has offered increased
funding for these programs.
Thus the administration has refused to implement the
ESA, claiming that they do not have the funds to do so.
There is much to celebrate on this 30th anniversary of the
ESA, many plants and animals that may not have survived if not
for these protections. There
are also many more imperiled species in need of our attention
and protection, the Florida panther, Pima pineapple cactus,
desert tortoise, and Mexican gray wolf, to name a few.
In this 30th anniversary year, the Endangered Species
Act itself deserves protection. |
