What is the Endangered Species Act? Describe one of its successes and explain some of the current controversies surrounding it

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The Endangered Species Act is the primary legislation for protecting biodiversity in the United States. It forbids the government and private citizens from taking actions (such as developing land) that would destroy endangered species or their habitats and also forbids trade in products made from endangered species. The aim is to prevent extinctions, stabilize declining populations, and, when possible, to enable populations to recover to the point where they no longer need protection.

The ESA has had a number of notable successes; students might mention any of the following. After the banning of DDT and years of management programs, birds such as the peregrine falcon, brown pelican, and bald eagle have recovered and been taken off the endangered list. Intensive management efforts with other species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker have held formerly declining populations steady in the face of continued habitat degradation. Roughly 40% of declining populations have been held stable.

While most Americans support endangered species protection, some have opposed provisions of the ESA. Some of the resentment results from the perception that the ESA is focused only on single species and values the life of an endangered species over the life or livelihood of a person. Most of the concern over the ESA, however, is basically economic and has stemmed from worries of landowners that federal officials will restrict the use of private land if threatened or endangered species are found on it.