Should the Endangered Species Act be Strengthened - Essay Example

? An Investigation into the Analysis of Endangered Species and the Law that governs them The term ‘endangered species’ refers to a populous of organisms who are at risk for extinction. These organisms are either few in numbers or threatened by environmental or predation parameters. Believe it or not many species become extinct yearly-about 27 000 species, 3 per hour. The process of extinction can have rippling effects for humans. It could mean the loss of a life saving drug well needed to prolong humanity. With the rapid rate of extinction, some of these species went undiscovered. Species have an indescribable amount of benefits to humans-with some not yet discovered. “An antibiotic was discovered in the soils of the threatened New Jersey Pine Barrens Natural Area, a species of perennial corn was found in Mexico; it is resistant to several diseases of corn and an insect was discovered that when frightened produces an excellent insect-repelling chemical.” (Regina Bailey, about.com) The Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973 in order to control the fast rate of extinction for a variety of beneficial reasons discussed further in the paper. The Endangered Species Act In order to foster the Protection and conservation of endangered species, the Endangered Species Act was passed on December 28, 1973 by Richard Nixon. Presently, the Act is administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). According to the National Wildlife Federation, since 2009, 1361 plants and animals in the US have been listed as endangered or threatened. The FWS carries out a multiple research on different species and they are organization responsible for listing a species as endangered. For a specie to be considered endangered, a number of factors are considered such as; the amount of its habitat destroyed, is it being over-consumed, is it being threatened by disease or other predation or are there other man made factors affecting its survival. The Endangered Act of 1973; authorizes the determination and listing of listing species as endangered and threatened. It prohibits the unauthorized taking, possession, sale and transport of endangered species. It provides authority to acquire land for the conservation of listed species, using land and water conservation funds; it authorizes the establishment of cooperative agreements and grants-in-aid to states that establish and maintain active and adequate programs for endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; it authorizes the assessment of civil and criminal penalties for violating the Act or regulations; and authorizes the payment of rewards to anyone furnishing information leading to arrest and conviction for any violation of the Act or any regulation issued hereunder. (Cited from Fws.gov, May 7, 2011) Should the Endangered Species Act be strengthened? It is seen by some non-environmentalists as a weapon used by radical environmentalists and is the most wasteful and counterproductive laws in the books. In addition to that, they believe that it practically turned into a tool exerting political leverage. Some are even vouching for cancellation of the ‘critical habitat’ designation which limits development in the habitat of endangered species. With reference to some consulted literature- the majority of persons wanting to trash the 1973 legislation is more than the amount who want to strengthen the Act by 9%. The researcher is in total disagreement with the persons who want to the Act to be demolished and considers these actions selfish. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the most important laws passed in America of all time. It’s had many successes and undoubtedly will have far greater success if and when strengthened. America has a fast rate of extinction and should the Act not be strengthened or demolished we will all be faced with the consequences. Considering all the benefits discussed in this paper, there should be enough reason for the act to be strengthened. There are still a lot of species out there still waiting to be under federal protection. If we understand the value and importance of organisms to our ecosystems we will understand the urgency in wanting the Act strengthened. Strengthening the act may put a strain on developers, but at the same time we are making a positive change that is going to affect us in years to come. Causes of Endangerment There are three main reasons according to Blair (‘endangered species’, about.com), for species to become endangered and lead to extinction. These include; habitat loss, exfoliation and disturbance. Habitat Plants and animals are not as highly adaptable as humans as such their loss of habitat is viewed as the most important cause to endangerment. Organisms require food, water and shelter to live just like humans and sometimes this happens to be specialized food and shelter found only in their native home. One example of such specialized animal declared by Blair is North Dakota’s piping plover which is a small shorebird which nests only on bare sand or gravel on islands of rivers or shorelines of alkali lakes. To add to that, some animals depend on multiple habitat close to each other for their survival. An example of such an animal is the waterfowl that depends on upland habitats for nesting purposes and nearby wetlands for food supplies. Blair also argues that the most serious habitat loss comes from plowing native grasslands, draining wetlands or constructing flood reservoirs. Exploitation This was a common practice before conservation laws were implemented. Humans exploited animals for fur or food supplies. The Audubon’s sheep was hunted to extinction. Disturbance There is nothing worse than loud noise made by machines in a usually peaceful and quite area. These machines include the raptors like the golden eagle. This kind of disturbance is especially harmful in nesting seasons. Reasons to Protect Endangered Species There are a lot beneficial reasons to preserve endangered species. These reasons can be considered agricultural, medicinal, ecological, commercial and recreational. Medicinal Plants and animals are credited for different types of useful medication. Lauren Kurpis, author of ‘why save endangered species’ (2002) stressed that 40% of all prescriptions written today, the medications are produced from the natural compounds of different species. Their role causes the pharmaceutical industry to turn over billions of dollars annually. Interesting to note as well, the Pacific Yew, a very slow growing tree found in the Pacific Northwest was historically considered a "trash" tree (it was burned after clear cutting). Kurpis notes that a substance in its bark taxol was recently identified as one of the most promising treatments for ovarian and breast cancer. Agricultural Humans depend on an estimated 20 000 out of about 80 000 plant species in the world at the moment. Plants such as wheat and corn are responsible for about 90% of the world’s food. However, preservation of plants can be the solution to one day solving the world hunger problem or they may contain disease resistant compounds. Ecological Organisms are the foundation of healthy ecosystems. The human populous depend on ecosystems such as coastal estuaries, prairie grasslands, and ancient forests to purify their air, clean their water, and supply them with food. Kurpis also declares that when species become endangered, it is an indicator that the health of these vital ecosystems is beginning to unravel. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service losing one plant species can trigger the loss of up to 30 other insect, plant and higher animal species. An example of such a situation occurs with the northern spotted owl, listed as threatened in 1990, and is an indicator of the declining health of the ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest. Commercial A number of wildlife is commercially raised, directly contributing to local and regional economies. In addition to that commercial and recreational salmon fishing in the Pacific Northwest provides 60,000 jobs and one billion dollars annually in personal income, and is the center of Pacific Northwest Native American culture. Recreational 108 million people in the United States participate in wildlife-related recreation annually including observing, feeding, and photographing wildlife. Not only that, our national heritage of biological diversity is an invaluable and irreplaceable resource as well as our quality of life and that of future generations depends on our preservation of plant and animal species. Works Cited Bailey, R. ‘endangered species’, (n.d), about.com, retrieved from: http://biology.about.com/od/ecology/a/aa102408a.htm ‘Endangered Species’, thinkquest.org, (n.d), retrieved from: http://library.thinkquest.org/19689/data/esframe.html ‘Endangered species Act of 1973’, (n.d) fws.gov, retrieved from: http://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/esact.html Kurpis, L. ‘Why save endangered species?’ (2002), endangeredspecie.com, retrieved from: http://www.endangeredspecie.com/Why_Save_.htm National Wildlife Federation, ‘endangered species Act’ (n.d.) nwf.org, retrieved from: http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife.aspx Read More