Endangered Species Act Essay

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was implemented in 1973 to protect species from becoming extinct. The two main ways the ESA achieves this goal is by designating species and their habitat, and the protection of the species and their habitat. This means that enforcement can be applied to protecting the species listed. Listing is the selection of which species will be considered endangered. Species are listed as endangered, meaning the species is facing extinction in all or a portion of its range. Species may also be listed as threatened because they are likely to become threatened in the future. There are sixteen steps to this process that may take up to two years to complete. Then a critical habitat for the species must be defined. When considering listing a new species, these agencies have to find reasons causing the problem. The reasons could be disease, predation, habitat loss, or other manmade factors. The term "take" is used in the Endangered Species Act to include, "harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct" (Chap

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service. The FWS maintains a worldwide list of endangered species. Species include birds, insects, fish, reptiles, mammals, crustaceans, flowers, grasses, and trees” (epa.gov). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the listing and protection of all land animals and plants as well as freshwater fish. The National Marine Fisheries Service manages marine fish and wildlife. Wildlife regulation is usually a state problem but the federal government controls the hunting of the birds and water fowl. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, along with the National Park Service, reinforce wildlife law in ways that does not relate to state laws. The ultimate control is with the landowner who manages that