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Sep 6, 2023 · The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides a program for the conservation of threatened and endangered plants and animals and their habitats. EPA regulates the use of pesticides to protect endangered species from harm and establishes maximum levels for pesticide residues in food.
Learn about the federal law that protects threatened and endangered species and their habitats in the U.S. The web page provides a brief summary of the act's history, scope, and implementation.
- Overview
- How endangered species are protected
- Conservation successes
- Conservation challenges
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From bald eagles to alligators, this historic conservation bill has helped save iconic American species from extinction for 50 years.
A Mexican gray wolf at the Wild Canid Survival and Research Center. Sometimes referred to as "El Lobo," populations of these wolves are slowly making a comeback after they nearly went extinct in the 1970s.
The United States’s Endangered Species Act (ESA), signed into law in 1973, has helped revive the populations of nearly 300 species.
The ESA protects animals that are classified under federal law as “endangered”—at risk of going extinct—and “threatened”—at risk of being endangered.
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service are the two government agencies primarily responsible for implementing the ESA.
To award a species ESA protection, these agencies take into consideration destruction to a species’ habitat, whether it has been over-consumed, threats from disease or predation, whether human actions put it in danger, and any policies currently protecting it.
A federally protected species is typically listed with a “critical habitat” designation that outlines where ecosystems should be left untouched. The law also requires a research and management plan be formed to monitor a species’ population.
It is illegal under the ESA to capture, hunt, shoot, or otherwise harm an animal that’s listed as endangered or threatened.
Bald eagles are a poster child for the ESA and just one of the species to have seen tremendous population growth through conservation. In the 1960s, only about 500 bald eagles existed in the continental U.S. The birds ate fish infected with the pesticide DDT that was found in waterways. This chemical interfered with their ability to produce eggshells strong enough to hatch their young.
Captive breeding programs, habitat protection, and a ban on DDT helped restore bald eagle populations. Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates more than 300,000 bald eagles live in the U.S.
Left: A bald eagle at the George M. Sutton Aviation Research Center in Oklahoma. The eagles are both an iconic symbol of North America and plight and potential of its at-risk species. Once critically endangered by the pesticide DDT, populations today have rebounded to more than 300,000.
Right: A peregrine falcon at Libery Wildlife in Phoenix, Arizona. Like bald eagles, peregrine falcon populations dwindled after the birds were exposed to DDT. In 1999, they were removed from the endangered species list after conservation efforts successfully revived their populations.
The ESA also played a critical role in restoring populations of American alligators. After facing threats to their habitat and being excessively hunted, there only an estimated 100,000 individuals thought to exist across the South. Today, there are over a million, and the alligator was removed from the endangered species list in 1987.
Some species status on the endangered species list is unclear—as populations rebound, many are facing intensifying threats from habitat loss or climate change.
Critics have argued that the act is expensive and ineffective because it protects over 1,300 species. Several federal courts have heard and rejected arguments that the ESA is unconstitutional. Members of Congress have tried to weaken the law, and spending cuts to federal agencies have limited how effectively scientists can monitor species’ health.
In October 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially removed 21 species from the ESA, saying they were likely extinct. Many had been added to the endangered species list in 1973 and may have already been extinct at the time they were listed.
One species, the ivory-billed woodpecker, was last seen in 1944 but remains a hotly debated scientific mystery. Initially considered for delisting, the bird remains on the list as scientists continue to debate its survival.
The ESA remains critical for protecting endangered species. Studies show the rate of extinction is increasing around the world. Nearly a third of plants and 40 percent of animals in the U.S. are existentially threatened, according to research done by the environmental group NatureServe.
In a press release announcing the 21 presumed extinct species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service highlighted the important role the ESA plays of protecting species "before declines become irreversible."
National Geographic Explorer Joel Sartore photographed these animals as part of the National Geographic Photo Ark. Learn more at natgeophotoark.org
Learn how the ESA, signed in 1973, protects animals at risk of extinction in the U.S. See examples of species that have recovered, such as bald eagles and alligators, and those that still face threats, such as whooping cranes and grizzly bears.
Feb 9, 2021 · 1 Endangered Species Act (ESA; P.L. 93 -205, 87 Stat. 884,16 U.S.C. § §1531 1544) §2, 16 U.S.C. 1531(b). 2 ESA §2(c), 16 U.S.C. §1531(c). 3 For detailed information on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) program for endangered and threatened species, see FWS, “Endangered Species,” at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/.
May 8, 2024 · Endangered Species Act, U.S. federal law passed in 1973 that obligates federal and state governments to protect all species threatened with extinction that fall within the borders of the United States and its outlying territories. The act is credited with the recovery of a number of prominent species.
- John P. Rafferty
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( ESA or "The Act"; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species.
May 17, 2024 · Learn about the ESA, the law that protects at-risk wildlife from extinction in the US and abroad. See examples of species that have recovered or are recovering thanks to the ESA, and how it supports global conservation efforts.
