THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
(1973, 1982, 1985, 1988)
Trista Dillon
THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
 National Act
 Draft year: Signed into law by President Richard
Nixon on December 28, 1973. It was formed by
Congress in 1973 and it was to show that our rich
natural heritage is of “esthetic, ecological,
educational, recreational, and scientific value to our
Nation and its people.”
 Amendment Years: Congress enacted significant
amendments in 1978, 1982, and 1988, while
keeping the overall framework of the 1973 Act
essentially unchanged.
WHAT IS THE ESA?
•defines “endangered” and “threatened ” species
•makes plants and all invertebrates eligible for protection
•requires Federal agencies to use their authorities to conserve
listed species and consult on “may af fect” actions
•prohibits Federal agencies from authorizing, funding, or
carrying out any action that would jeopardize a listed species or
destroy or modify its “critical habitat”
•provides authority to acquire land for the conservation of listed
species, using land and water conservation funds
•implements CITES protection in the United States
•prohibits unauthorized taking, possession, sale, and transport
of endangered species
•authorizes the assessment of civil and criminal penalties for
violating the Act or regulations
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AFFECTED
 It was designed to protect critically imperiled species from
extinction as a consequence of economic growth and
development untempered by adequate concern and
conservation.
 The population everywhere continues to grow which specifies
the need for expansion and when we expand we tend to take
over and wipe out their habitats and potentially forcing these
species onto the endangered and threatened species list.
 The majority of species have been placed on the list due to
destruction of habitat, pollution, hunting and killing,
predators, and the introduction of exotic species.
AGENCY/GROUP RESPONSIBLE
 It is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the
Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS). The FWS has primary responsibility for terrestrial and
freshwater organisms, while the responsibilities of NMFS are
mainly marine wildlife such as whales and fish such as
salmon.
SOURCES
 http://www.fws.gov/ENDANGERED/laws -policies/index.html
 http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/esact.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endangered_Species_Act#Endan
gered_Species_Act