The Endangered Species Act

Nature and its wildlife are considered to be beautiful and heavenly amongst a great deal of people. To preserve its beauty, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 during Richard Nixon’s presidency. Congress realized that nature has an educational and scientific value that is beneficial to the United States and its citizens.  The Endangered Species Act provides the protection and preservation of any “endangered” or “threatened” species and their habitats. Those who deem these species as endangered or threatened are the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Before any species can be listed as endangered or threatened, the FWS and NMFS considers 5 factors in evaluating a species. These factors are: Damage to, or destruction of a species’ habitat, over utilization of the species for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes, disease or predation, inadequacy of existing protection and  other natural or manmade factors that affect the continued existence of the species. Any animal or plant, except for pest insect, can be listed. Since The Endangered Species Act is a federal law, violators will face the consequences if they are to harm, harass, or kill any of the listed species. These perpetrators can face up to a year in prison or fines up to $100,000.