Transcript Endangered Species - Hopewell Valley Regional School District

Endangered Species
Endangered Species Act
• Nothing is more priceless and more worthy of
preservation than the rich array of animal life
with which our country has been blessed. It is
a many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars,
scientists, and nature lovers alike, and it forms
a vital part of the heritage we all share as
Americans.
President Richard Nixon – Statement upon signing
the Endangered Species Act, December 28, 1973
Endangered Species Act
• The Endangered Species Act of 1973
(ESA) [pdf] was signed on December 28, 1973,
and provides for the conservation of species
that are endangered or threatened
throughout all or a significant portion of their
range, and the conservation of the ecosystems
on which they depend. The ESA replaced the
Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969;
it has been amended several times.
Endangered vs Threatened
• A species is considered endangered
if it is in danger of extinction
throughout all or a significant
portion of its range.
• A species is considered threatened if
it is likely to become an endangered
species within the foreseeable
future.
Endangered Species Act
• There are approximately 1,950 total species
listed under the ESA. Of these species,
approximately 1,375 are found in part or
entirely in the U.S. and its waters; the
remainder are foreign species.
ESA Responsibility
• NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) share responsibility for
implementing the ESA.
• http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/
• http://www.fws.gov/
Shared Responsibility
• USFWS manages land and freshwater species
• NMFS manages marine and anadromous*
species. NMFS has jurisdiction over 72 listed
species.
• *Species that live their adult lives in the ocean but
move into freshwater streams to reproduce or spawn
(e.g., salmon).
Protection, Conservation, and Recovery
• The listing of a species as endangered makes it illegal
to "take" (harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound,
kill, trap, capture, collect, or attempt to do these
things) that species.
• Similar prohibitions usually extend to threatened
species.
• Federal agencies may be allowed limited take of
species through interagency consultations with NMFS
or USFWS.
• Non-federal individuals, agencies, or organizations may
have limited take through special permits with
conservation plans.
Summary of the Endangered Species Act
• 16 U.S.C. §1531 et seq. (1973)
• The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides a program
for the conservation of threatened and endangered
plants and animals and the habitats in which they are
found.
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) maintains a
worldwide list of endangered species.
• Species include birds, insects, fish, reptiles, mammals,
crustaceans, flowers, grasses, and trees.
Summary of the Endangered Species Act
• The law requires federal agencies, in
consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and/or the NOAA Fisheries Service, to
ensure that actions they authorize, fund, or
carry out are not likely to jeopardize the
continued existence of any listed species or
result in the destruction or adverse
modification of designated critical habitat of
such species.
Summary of the Endangered Species Act
• The law also prohibits any action that causes a
"taking" of any listed species of endangered
fish or wildlife.
• Likewise, import, export, interstate, and
foreign commerce of listed species are all
generally prohibited.
Review: Endangered Species Act of 1973
• The Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act)
describes two categories of declining species of plants
and animals that need the Act’s protections –
endangered species and threatened species – and
provides these definitions:
• ENDANGERED - any species that is in danger of
extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its
range;
• THREATENED - any species that is likely to become an
endangered species within the foreseeable future
throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
IN SIMPLE TERMS
• Endangered species are at the brink of
extinction now.
• Threatened species are likely to be at the
brink in the near future.
What is the difference in how the ESA deals with
endangered species vs. threatened species?
• All of the protections of the Act are provided
to endangered species. Many, but not all, of
those protections also are available to
threatened species.
• However, the Service has the authority to
determine which protections should apply to
each threatened species; in other words, we
can select and fine tune the protections that
best meet the species’ recovery needs.
Threatened status: benefits
• Threatened status benefits species and people
in two situations:
• (1) it provides Federal protection before a
species reaches the brink of extinction; and
• (2) in the case of species that were initially
listed as endangered, threatened status also
allows scaling back Federal protection as they
recover and no longer need the maximum
protections of the Act.
Causes of Endangerment
• Habitat Destruction
• Invasive Species
• Overexploitation / Hunting
• Pollution
Endangered Animals
• Elephants
– African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
– Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)
• Whales
– Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis)
– Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
– Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
• Primates
– Golden Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia)
– Hybrid Spider Monkey (Ateles belzebuth hybridus)
– Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)
– Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
• Carnivores
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Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis)
Anatolian Leopard (Panthera pardus tulliana)
Asiatic Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus)
Florida Cougar (Puma concolor coryi)
Lesser Panda (Ailurus fulgens)
Marine Otter (Lutra felina)
Tiger (Panthera tigris)
• Cypriniformes
– Wild Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
– Silver Shark (Balantiocheilos melanopterus)
• Cranes, rails, trumpeters
• Blue-bellied Parrot (Tridaria malachitacea)
• Passerines
– Cochabamba Mountain-finch (Poospiza garleppi)
– Hawaiian Crow (Corvus hawaiiensis)
• Eagles, hawks, and vultures
• Kingfishers, hornbills, and allies
• Screamers and ducks
– White-winged Duck (Cairina scutulata)
– Crested Shelduck (Tadorna cristata)