ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
The federal Endangered Species Act of 1973
(ESA) (16 U.S.C.A. §§ 1531 et seq.) was enacted
to protect animal and plant species from extinc-
tion by preserving the ecosystems in which they
survive and by providing programs for their
conservation.
The act classifies species as either endan-
gered or threatened. It defines an endangered
species as one “in danger of extinction through-
out all or a significant portion of its range”
(§ 1532).A threatened species is one that is “likely
to become an endangered species within the
foreseeable future throughout all or a significant
portion of its range” (§ 1532).A current detailed
listing of endangered and threatened animal and
plant species is provided in the CODE OF FED-
ERAL REGULATIONS (see 50 C.F.R. §§ 17.11–.12).
As of March 2003, the code listed approximately
1,260 endangered and threatened species (up
from 1,000 in 1996). Between the years of 1995
and 2002, 12 species were removed from the list.
The ESA is administered by two agencies:
the National Marine Fisheries Service, which
designates marine fish and certain marine mam-
mals, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
which has jurisdiction over all other wildlife.
These agencies may list a species on their own
initiative, or any interested person may submit a
petition to have a species considered for listing.
