There is nothing quite so absolute, so final, as extinction. Once the last of a species -- whether animal, bird, plant, fish, or insect -- dies, there's no turning back and no second chance. Once a species is gone, it's gone forever.
This is part of the reason why the effort to save disappearing species has always enjoyed broad public support in the United States. The vast majority of Americans want their children and grandchildren to be able to see and experience wildlife in its natural habitat.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973, amended several times since then, set in motion this government's best effort to stop the loss of America's unique wildlife. The Act is a safety net for animals and plants that are on the brink of extinction.
Here's a very brief overview of how the Act is supposed to work, with special emphasis on the need to protect the habitat these creatures need in order to survive -- the special places they call home.
Listing
When scientists find that a species is in danger of extinction ("endangered"), or in danger of becoming endangered ("threatened"), it is put on a list compiled by the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. These agencies are required to use the most rigorous science available to develop common sense solutions to prevent the extinction of listed species.
Listing a plant or animal makes it illegal to "take" that species, which the Act defines as any action to "harrass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct."
Recovery plans must be developed for all listed species. These plans guide protection efforts toward arresting and reversing the decline in a species' population, and removing threats to that species' survival in the wild.
Critical Habitat
When a species is listed, the government is required by law to designate its "critical habitat." The Act defines "critical habitat" as those geographical areas: (1) that are essential for bringing an endangered or threatened species to the point where it no longer needs the legal protections of the Act; and (2) which may require special management considerations or protection.
In other words, the critical habitat consists of those areas that must be managed to permit an imperiled species to recover to a level where it is safe, for the foreseeable future, from the danger of extinction.
In addition to promoting the recovery of individual threatened and endangered species, critical habitat helps to achieve one of the central goals of the Act: the preservation of the ecosystems upon which endangered and threatened species depend for their continued survival and recovery. In this way, critical habitat helps ensure that other native species that rely on the same habitat do not become threatened with extinction.
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