What are we doing to protect endangered species?
The Endangered Species Act was enacted without controversy in 1973 with the simple but ambitious goal of reversing the decades of neglect and abuse that have pushed many irreplaceable species of plants and animals to the brink of extinction. Under the provisions of this legislation, plants or animals are classified as “endangered” or “threatened”. Endangered species cannot be purchased or sold in interstate or foreign commerce. Endangered animal species cannot be killed, hunted, collected, injured, or otherwise subjected to “harm.” The same restrictions apply to plants, except on private land, where the “take” of plants is not prohibited. Protections for threatened plants and animals are more flexible than those for endangered species, but in the case of a particular species may include any and all of the above measures. Despite the protections of this act, the number of plants and animals which are endangered has grown, but not dramatically for mammals and birds. Only 11 species have
