How to Get an Animal on the Endangered Species List

Endangered Bison are the largest land mammals in North America.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 provides a "means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved, [and] to provide a program for the conservation of such endangered species and threatened species."
The Endangered Species Listing Program is a formal investigation of a species' condition that culminates in a listing determination. The outcome can be a "threatened" or the more serious "endangered" status. Organisms may also be listed as "proposed" for future listing, or de-listed if re-population efforts are successful. Changes to the Endangered Species List are announced in the Federal Register. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration jointly administer the Endangered Species Act.

Things You'll Need

• Internet access

Instructions

1. 

   21 species of butterflies are endangered in the United States.

   Commence the petition process. Notify the Secretary of the Interior that you want to add an animal or plant to the Endangered Species List. Any interested party can initiate this process.

2. 

   Pesticides have reduced populations of endangered woodpeckers.

   Investigate habitat qualities that may affect the survival of the organism proposed for listing. These include degradation, destruction and/or over-utilization of native habitat.

3. 

   Sea otters are listed federally as threatened, but are protected fully in California.

   Investigate detrimental biological factors affecting the proposed organism's population size such as disease, increased predation and reduced genetic fitness.

4. Evaluate the effectiveness of existing regulatory framework that protects the organism or its habitat.

5. 

   Florida panthers' habitat is imperiled due to sea level rise induced by global warming.

   Use this scientific information collected by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists to determine the worthiness of the proposed listing.

6. Draft a formal proposal. Expose the proposal to review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Interior Department personnel.

7. Schedule a public comment period during which input from citizens, the scientific community, and federal and state agencies is solicited.

8. Announce the decision not to list the species, or publish a final rule in the Federal Register regarding the listing status.

Tips & Warnings

• One person alone does not have the breadth of scientific information necessary for listing. Usually populations are monitored for years by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and independent research scientists before listing status is considered.

References

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: The Endangered Species Listing Program
• The Endangered Species Act of 1973
• The Journal of Law and Economics: Waiting to Be Protected Under the Endangered Species Act: The Political Economy of Regulatory Delay

Resources

• International Union for Conservation of Nature
• Kids Planet: Esheets Fact Sheets
• Earth's Endangered Creatures