Endangered Species Act


Christopher Michel/CC BY 2.0 (Flickr)

Another Attack on Endangered Species Escalates Need for New Legislation

, Research scientist

December 17, 2019 2:12 PM EDT

The Trump administration is no stranger to attacking protections for endangered species, the implementation of the process by which endangered species are afforded protections by the federal government, the science underpinning that process, or the piece of legislation that spells all of these processes out and has resounding bipartisan support (i.e., the Endangered Species Act). And there are lots of endangered species at risk of losing their much-needed protections such as the American burying beetle, Chinook salmon, and (still) the polar bear. This is all happening as scientists continue to provide evidence that Earth is currently experiencing a sixth major extinction event. Read more >

Bookmark and Share

The endangered Houston toad. US Fish and Wildlife Service

New Analysis Shows Government Lacks Plans to Save Endangered Species from Climate Change

, Research scientist

November 18, 2019 11:03 AM EDT

Today, a new analysis published in Nature Climate Change shows that the US government doesn’t have many plans to conserve hundreds of endangered species that are at-risk of being affected by climate change. The analysis finds that 99.8% of the 459 US animals listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) are at risk of having their populations further decrease under a changing climate. However, the two agencies in charge of managing conservation of these species, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), have plans to manage the effects of climate change for only 18% of them. Read more >

Bookmark and Share

How Science Watchdogs Can Protect the Gray Wolf

Dr. Carlos Carroll, , UCS

September 10, 2019 2:09 PM EDT

Sadly, we have grown accustomed to seeing political candidates denying the reality of established scientific facts, such as those that underpin our understanding of evolution and climate change. Science denial is even more disturbing, however, when it emerges from federal agencies such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) that are meant to uphold scientific integrity. But scientists can play an important role in watchdogging government actions. My new peer-reviewed study sheds light on how far we’ve strayed from what the science says we should do in protecting the wolf, and how the FWS can return to a science-based path to recovery. Read more >

Bookmark and Share

Facing Uncertain Future, Puffins Adapt to Survive Climate Change

, fellow

August 22, 2019 12:27 PM EDT

Eastern Egg Rock, Maine — In the midst of a second-straight record year for breeding Atlantic puffins, the research crew on this tiny, treeless jumble of boulders six miles out to sea pondered how long this good fortune would last amid climate change. Read more >

Derrick Z Jackson
Derrick Z Jackson
Derrick Z Jackson
Derrick Z Jackson
Bookmark and Share

American pika (Ochotona princeps)
Photo: Shanthanu Bhardwaj/CC BY-SA 2.0 (Flickr)

The Trump Administration Dismantles Endangered Species Protections as Sixth Mass Extinction Crisis Looms

, Research scientist

August 12, 2019 5:54 PM EDT

Today, the Trump administration released a final rule dismantling the role of science in informing protections for endangered and threatened wildlife. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the protections it has afforded to threatened and endangered species have been based on the best available science and commercial data. Today, science will take a backseat as the new rule will sideline scientific evidence and emphasize considerations of economic costs in decisions to list species and/or the habitat they depend on under ESA. This new rule will result in less protection for America’s threatened wildlife and a higher likelihood of losing species forever as Earth’s sixth mass extinction occurs.  Read more >

Photo: Shanthanu Bhardwaj/CC BY-SA 2.0 (Flickr)
Bookmark and Share