Endangered Species Act of 1973 (USA)
The Endangered Species Act is a law that was passed in the United States in 1973. It is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving endangered species. The law establishes protections for fish, wildlife, and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered, provides for adding species to and removing them from the list of threatened and endangered species, and for preparing and implementing plans for their recovery.
The Endangered Species Act is enforced by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.[1] These agencies are responsible for implementing the provisions of the act, including listing species as threatened or endangered, preparing and implementing recovery plans, and issuing permits for otherwise prohibited activities.[1]
Criticisms of the Endangered Species Act
Some critics argue that the act has been a failure because only a small percentage of species have recovered sufficiently to be removed from the list of threatened and endangered species.[2] Others argue that the act has been successful in preventing the extinction of many species, but has not done enough to promote their recovery.[3]