About the Endangered Species Act
- Endangered Species ActAs the principal federal partner responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act (ESA), we take the lead in recovering and conserving our nation's imperiled species by fostering partnerships, employing scientific excellence, and developing a workforce of conservation leaders.
As we work in partnership with others, our two major goals are to:
Protect endangered and threatened species, and then pursue their recovery; and
Conserve candidate species and species-at-risk so that listing under the ESA is not necessary.
A Quarter of All Species are Threatened with Extinction
- Statista This link opens in a new window
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Statista provides quantitative data on media, business, finance, politics, and a wide variety of other areas of interest or markets.. This database provides quantitative data and original source materials on thousands of statistical datapoints.
Perspectives
Hope for Animals and Their World
From world-renowned scientist Jane Goodall, as seen in the new National Geographic documentary Jane, comes an inspiring message about the future of the animal kingdom. With the insatiable curiosity and conversational prose that have made her a bestselling author, Goodall - along with Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard - shares fascinating survival stories about the American Crocodile, the California Condor, the Black-Footed Ferret, and more; all formerly endangered species and species once on the verge of extinction whose populations are now being regenerated. Interweaving her own first-hand experiences in the field with the compelling research of premier scientists, Goodall illuminates the heroic efforts of dedicated environmentalists and the truly critical need to protect the habitats of these beloved species. At once a celebration of the animal kingdom and a passionate call to arms, Hope For Animals Their World presents an uplifting, hopeful message for the future of animal-human coexistence. Praise for Hope For Animals Their World "Goodall's intimate writing style and sense of wonder pull the reader into each account...The mix of personal and scientific makes for a compelling read."-Booklist "These accounts of conservation success are inspirational."-Publishers Weekly
Nature's Ghosts
The rapid growth of the American environmental movement in recent decades obscures the fact that long before the first Earth Day and the passage of the Endangered Species Act, naturalists and concerned citizens recognized--and worried about--the problem of human-caused extinction. As Mark V. Barrow reveals in Nature's Ghosts, the threat of species loss has haunted Americans since the early days of the republic. From Thomas Jefferson's day--when the fossil remains of such fantastic lost animals as the mastodon and the woolly mammoth were first reconstructed--through the pioneering conservation efforts of early naturalists like John James Audubon and John Muir, Barrow shows how Americans came to understand that it was not only possible for entire species to die out, but that humans themselves could be responsible for their extinction. With the destruction of the passenger pigeon and the precipitous decline of the bison, professional scientists and wildlife enthusiasts alike began to understand that even very common species were not safe from the juggernaut of modern, industrial society. That realization spawned public education and legislative campaigns that laid the foundation for the modern environmental movement and the preservation of such iconic creatures as the bald eagle, the California condor, and the whooping crane. A sweeping, beautifully illustrated historical narrative that unites the fascinating stories of endangered animals and the dedicated individuals who have studied and struggled to protect them, Nature's Ghosts offers an unprecedented view of what we've lost--and a stark reminder of the hard work of preservation still ahead.
100 Heartbeats
It's no secret that our planet--and the delicate web of ecosystems that comprise it--is in crisis. Environmental threats such as climate change, pollution, habitat loss, and land degradation threaten the survival of thousands of plant and animal species each day. In 100 Heartbeats, conservationist and television host Jeff Corwin provides an urgent, palpable portrait of the wildlife that is suffering in silence and teetering on the brink of extinction. From the forests slipping away beneath the stealthy paws of the Florida panther, to the giant panda's plight to climb ever higher in the mountains of China in search of sustenance, to the brutal poaching tactics that have devastated Africa's rhinoceros and elephant populations, Corwin takes readers on a global tour to witness firsthand the critical state of our natural world. Along the way, he shares inspiring stories of battles being waged and won in defense of the earth's most threatened creatures by the conservationists on the front lines. These stories of hope and progress underscore an important message: Our own survival, as well as that of the world's wildlife, is in our hands. The race to save the planet's most endangered wildlife is under way. Every heartbeat matters.
Endangered
A beautifully illustrated book on endangered species and the opportunities to save them. Earth has seen at least five great extinction periods, each wiping out up to 95 percent of all living species. They involved massive volcanic eruptions, disastrous meteor strikes and rapid climatic changes. The main point of Endangered is that the sixth great extinction will be the result of humankind's abuse of the environment. Featuring more than 400 photographs, this book details the plant and animal species that are either endangered or so severely threatened that they soon will be. The authors offer a thoughtful celebration of nature's diversity not scaremongering -- and a plea to rein in current behaviors that negatively affect the planet. Their proposals form a reasoned and hopeful guide to a future world that will be safe for all species. Creatures profiled include marsupials, monkeys, sea turtles, birds of prey, and butterflies and moths. The extraordinary imagery and the compelling and objectively presented information make Endangered essential reading for anyone interested in natural history.
The Company We Keep
"This magnificently illustrated book explores the diverse and threatened worlds of more than 950 American species protected by the controversial Endangered Species Act. From such majestic beasts as the grizzly bear and the whooping crane to tiny but equally irreplaceable creatures like the freshwater mussel, The Company We Keep is a sweeping panorama of America's natural treasure - its wildlife - and a provocative look at the way we can preserve it." "Douglas Chadwick, a leading wildlife conservationist, and award-winning photojournalist Joel Sartore have created a volume in the finest tradition of the National Geographic Society: informed, informative, and visually stunning, packed with dozens of full-color photographs, dramatic satellite images, and a unique ten-page foldout illustration depicting all species classified as endangered throughout the United States. A separate section is devoted to arresting photographs and detailed profiles of many imperiled life-forms, ranging from the Florida panther to the El Segundo blue butterfly, and including birds, flowers, fish, and more." "Also examined are three major ecosystems - the Pacific Northwest, the southwestern desert, and southern Florida. How are urbanization, deforestation, and other human activities damaging or destroying them? Chadwick reviews the history of conservation efforts, discusses today's bitter debate on the impact of the Endangered Species Act, and looks to the future of American environmentalism."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Conservation of Amazon Animals
- Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
Vets heal and conserve the animals impacted by the construction. We see an armadillo, a tamarind, Amazonian doe, owl, porcupine, mongoose and endangered wild dog.
Gambling on Extinction
- Kanopy This link opens in a new window
Gambling On Extinction is a powerful documentary that takes you from the killing fields in Kenya and South Africa to the trading hubs of Vietnam and China with undercover investigators, rangers, ex-poachers, conservationists and buyers. Director Jakob Kneser exposes the lethal mechanisms of the global trade, the terrorist connection, explains who the customers are, what generates demand, and what can be done to stop the slaughter.
This is a story about greed and a merciless battle over a limited resource: Wild elephants and rhinos. It is in fact the dark side of globalization: Ivory and rhino horn have become lucrative commodities. It is now a 20 billion dollar a year business, the most lucrative after drugs and weapons and has been taken over by powerful, connected, heavily armed international syndicates.
As numbers go down the prices go up, making it a perverse futures market in extinction. Poaching is an international crime. It will take a concerted international response to stop it. As Allan Thornton, President of the Environmental Investigation Agency, says: The world has two choices. We can have elephants. Or we can have ivory trade. We can't have both.
Wild Ways
- Films on Demand This link opens in a new windowFour-lane highways may be a necessity to our modern society, but they can be a death traps for millions of animals that try to cross them. Around the world, wildlife need to roam for breeding, foraging, and to carry out their traditional migrations–but they are often blocked by ranches, farms, roads, and other human-made obstacles. While national parks and preserves offer some protection to wildlife, even the magnificent Serengeti and Yellowstone parks are too small to sustain healthy populations over generations. But now comes new hope for wildlife through an approach called “connectivity conservation.” Some of the world’s most beloved species–lions, bears, antelope and elephants–can be preserved by linking the world’s wildlife refuges with tunnels, overpasses, and protected land corridors. From North America’s Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation initiative to Southern Africa’s elephant highways stretching across five nations, see how animals are on the move again.
Online Resources
- U.S. Department of Agricluture-WildlifeUSDA provides scientific information and research on wildlife, its habitat, and its relationship to agriculture and public safety.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Wildlife ConservationWildlife conservation is at the heart of the National Wildlife Refuge System. It drives everything on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands and waters managed within the Refuge System, from the purposes for which a national wildlife refuge is established to the recreational activities offered to the resource management tools used. Using conservation best practices, the Refuge System manages Service lands and waters to help ensure the survival of native wildlife species.
- World Wildlife Fund-Wildlife ConservationEnsure the world’s most iconic species, including tigers, rhinos, and elephants, are secured and recovering in the wild