While a senior at the
University of Michigan, I experienced an extremely emotional moment during the
National Anthem at the 2012 Michigan vs. Air Force football game. Though I had
stood for countless anthem recitations there before (joined by over 110,000
other fans in the largest stadium in America), this time there was a surprise
stadium flyover by a trained bald eagle that sparked a surprising reaction in
me. As someone who lived through the near-extinction and then population resurgence
of the United States’ national animal, seeing a real bald eagle soaring through
the air was poignant and humbling (so much so that I was embarrassingly moved
to tears). This unforgettable moment has prompted me to investigate why eagles
and some other animals have bounced back from the brink, while other species,
including Asian elephants, are still in danger of extinction.
A
trained eagle soars over fans at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Photo from:
http://www.9news.com
What does a bald eagle have in common with a gray wolf and a
grizzly bear? All three species have experienced a sweeping loss in population
number before undergoing a species-saving resurgence—largely due to negative human
effects followed by human conservation efforts. What causes an endangered
species on the IUCN Red list to become fully conserved and relisted on the
Green List? And who decides which species are worth saving? Most importantly,
how can endangered animal success stories teach us what conservation methods
work best for endangered Asian elephants? These and related questions will be
addressed in my three-part blog series on how to become un-endangered.
Part 1: The U.S. Endangered Species Act
All wildlife conservationists initially set out to achieve
the same goal: to save and protect endangered species. This usually entails
working with communities to protect habitats, enacting policies with government
officials to change human behavior, and studying animal behavior to determine
the best mode of helping that species. A conservation plan may also involve
initiating education programs to encourage new ways of thinking and to
disseminate research. In the case of the bald eagle, which was removed from the
U.S. Endangered Species List in 2007, it was the enforcement of the 1972 ban on
DDT pesticide that most significantly contributed to its survival. The gray
wolf benefited from reintroduction programs and political collaboration between
Canada and the United States. The grizzly bear bounced back after the
ratification of the1973 Endangered Species Act and resulting ban on hunting.
Although these solutions may seem simple, they required countless hours of
research, education, and enforcement to eventually spark increases in
population numbers.
Grizzly bears benefited from a ban on hunting.
Photo from: Wikimedia Commons
We can learn much about wildlife conservation strategies by
studying successful U.S. case studies, especially those made possible by
enforcement of legislation. For example, the Endangered Species Act (ESA),
administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, has been credited for the increase in population
size and subsequent removal from the Endangered Species List of several animal
species such as the bald eagle, whooping crane, grizzly bear, and the northern
flying squirrel. The ESA requires that the federal government take a number of
measures to protect any imperiled animals, especially those that are likely to
become extinct throughout a large portion of their habitat, those that may
become endangered, and the habitats vital to these animals. Under the ESA,
these animals are protected from being trafficked, hunted, harmed, or
experiencing any impediments to their normal breeding behaviors. At its root,
the act aims to protect entire food chains and ecosystems by focusing on
species in danger of complete extinction.
The ESA still has its downfalls, however, with some critics
claiming that over a dozen listed species were never endangered in the first
place, thus removing some credibility from the ESA. Others may argue that the
success rate of the ESA is so small in the nearly three decades since its
installment that sweeping reform is required. Perhaps most troubling, by
listing a species as endangered, the ESA may inadvertently cause landowners
within ranges of the listed species to destroy their habitat in order to keep
their land. For example, landowners may degrade potential animal habitat on
their property in order to prevent regulations being imposed on them, since it
is not illegal to destroy land that might become part of a species’ habitat.
Additionally, private landowners are not required to take any action in
ensuring species conservation besides simply not engaging in harming the
species. Unsurprisingly, political means of bringing about population increase
of threatened species may have unintended consequences.
Map of endangered species throughout the United States.
Photo from: ecowest.org
In the next part of this blog series, we will examine why
some animals, like charismatic giant pandas, get more support from conservation
groups than others, and whether this selection process is justified.
To find out which endangered species live in your state,
click here: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/
References
http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Conservation/Endangered-Species-Act.aspx
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/esa/.
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