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Endangered Florida panther
USFWS photo by John & Karen Hollingsworth |
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Introduction:
Before a plant or animal species can receive protection under the Endangered Species Act, it must first be placed on the Federal list of endangered and hreatened wildlife and plants. Our listing program follows a strict legal process to determine whether to list a species, depending on the degree of threat it faces.
An “endangered” species is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
A “threatened” species is hat is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. The Service maintains a list of plant and animals native to the United States that are andidates or proposed for possible addition to the Federal list. All of the Service’s actions, from proposals to listings to removals (“delisting”), are announced through the Federal Register. |
The Endangered Species Act
The Fish and Wildlife Service, in the Department of the Interior, and the National Marine Fisheries Service, in the Department of Commerce, share responsibility for administration of the Endangered Species Act.
History of The Act
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Coastal California gnatcatcher
Arnold Small/USFWS |
Congress passed the Endangered Species Preservation Act in 1966. This law allowed listing of only native animal species as endangered and provided limited means for the protection of species so listed. The Departments of Interior, Agriculture, and Defense were to seek to protect listed species, and insofar as consistent with their primary purposes, preserve the habitats of such species. Land acquisition for protection of endangered species was also authorized. The Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 was passed to provide additional protection to species in danger of "worldwide extinction". Import of such species was prohibited, as was their subsequent sale within the U.S. This Act called for an international ministerial meeting to adopt a convention on the conservation of endangered species.
A 1973 conference in Washington led to the signing of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which restricted international commerce in plant and animal species believed to be actually or potentially harmed by trade.
Later that year, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was passed, which combined and considerably strengthened the provisions of its predecessors, and broke some new ground.
Its principal provisions follow:
U.S. and foreign species lists were combined, with uniform provisions applied to both;
Categories of "endangered" and "threatened" were defined;
Plants and all classes of invertebrates were eligible for protection;
All Federal agencies were required to undertake programs for the conservation of endangered and threatened species, and were prohibited from authorizing, funding, or carrying out any action that would jeopardize a listed species or destroy or modify its "critical habitat";
Broad taking prohibitions were applied to all endangered animal species, which could apply to threatened animals by special regulation;
Matching Federal funds became available for States with cooperative agreements;
Authority was provided to acquire land for listed animals and for plants listed; and
U.S. implementation of CITES was provided .
Significant amendments have been enacted in 1978, 1982, and 1988, while the overall framework of the 1973 Act has remained essentially unchanged. |
General Statistics for Endangered Species
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American peregrine falcon
photo by Craig Koppie/USFWS |
(Data current as of February 23, 2001 unless otherwise stated)
How many species in the United States are listed as threatened and endangered or proposed for listing as threatened or endangered?
511 U.S. species of animals are listed.
736 U.S. species of plants are listed.
46 U.S. species of animals are currently proposed for listing.
14 U.S. species of plants are currently proposed for listing.
How many listed species have designated critical habitat?
142 U.S. species have designated critical habitat.
How many candidate species are there?
How many habitat conservation plans (HCPs) have been approved?
How many listed species have approved recovery plans?
The Endangered Species Listing Program
Through the Listing Program, the Service determines whether to add a species to the Federal lists of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. Once listed, a species is afforded the full range of protections available under the ESA, including prohibitions on killing, harming or otherwise taking a species. In some instances, species listing can be avoided by the development of Candidate Conservation Agreements which may remove threats facing the candidate species.
*Material on this web page courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Images Courtesy of the USFWS Photo Libarary, credit given as appropriate
Thumbnail Image on Life Science JumpStart Home Page is an endangered green pitcher-plant (Sarracenia oreophila)
USFWS photo/G. Gentry
Primary URL: http://endangered.fws.gov/wildlife.html
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