The Nation S Endangered Species Program

This handbook is a guide to the federal Endangered Species Act, the primary U.S. law aimed at protecting species of animals and plants from human threats to their survival. It is intended for lawyers, government agency employees, students, community activists, businesspeople, and any citizen who wants to understand the Act--its history, provisions, accomplishments, and failures.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is a far-reaching law that has sparked intense controversies over the use of public lands, the rights of property owners, and economic versus environmental benefits. In this volume a distinguished committee focuses on the science underlying the ESA and offers recommendations for making the act more effective. The committee provides an overview of what scientists know about extinction--and what this understanding means to implementation of the ESA. Habitat--its destruction, conservation, and fundamental importance to the ESA--is explored in detail. The book analyzes Concepts of species--how the term "species" arose and how it has been interpreted for purposes of the ESA. Conflicts between species when individual species are identified for protection, including several case studies. Assessment of extinction risk and decisions under the ESA--how these decisions can be made more effectively. The book concludes with a look beyond the Endangered Species Act and suggests additional means of biological conservation and ways to reduce conflicts. It will be useful to policymakers, regulators, scientists, natural-resource managers, industry and environmental organizations, and those interested in biological conservation.

Canada and the United States are similar in terms of the species of wildlife that mingle freely across their shared border. Despite this similarity, however, there are significant differences between approaches to wildlife management in these two nations. In Land, Stewardship, and Legitimacy, Andrea Olive examines the divergent evolution of endangered species policy on either side of the 49th parallel. Examining local circumstances in areas as distant and diverse as southern Utah and the Canadian Arctic, Olive shows how public attitudes have shaped environmental policy in response to endangered species law, specifically the Species at Risk Act in Canada and the Endangered Species Act in the U.S. Richly researched and accessibly written, this is the first book to compare endangered species policy on both sides of the Canada–U.S. border. It will appeal to students and scholars of environmental policy, politics, and ethics, and anyone interested in current approaches to wildlife management.