The Endangered Species Act 1973, 1982, 1985, 1988

1. The Endangered Species Act 1973, 1982, 1985, 1988 • By Tristan Armstrong

2. Function of the Act • The endangered species act is regulated by the fish and wildlife service. • it recognized that our rich natural heritage is of “esthetic, ecological, educational, recreational, and scientific value to our Nation and its people.” It further expressed concern that many of our nation’s native plants and animals were in danger of becoming extinct. • The ESA protects endangered andthreatened species and their habitats by prohibiting the “take” of listed animalsand the interstate or international trade inlisted plants and animals, including theirparts and products, except under Federal permit

3. Environmental Issues Affected • December 28, 1973- President Richard Nixon signs the Endangered Species Act of 1973 into law in the interest of protecting plants and animals that could be lost forever • October 13, 1982- President Ronald Reagan signs the Endangered Species Act Amendments of 1982 including: Prohibited the consideration of economic factors in the listing process, Established time tables to ensure that petitions for listing were dealt with expeditiously, Established procedures for consultation at the initial stages of a project that might impact a listed species, Adopted procedures for shortening the consultation process, Specified that good faith actions taken by a private entity to minimize "takings" may be exempted from the prohibition against incidental takings, andEncouraged the establishment of experimental populations for the recovery of species. • Establishes procedures for applying for an exemption to allow a federal action that jeopardizes the continued existence of a listed species, provides procedures and standards for evaluating such applications by the secretary of the interior and endangered species, and first delisting due to recovery occurs • Appropriated funds for the Act's implementation through FY 1992;
Gave the Fish and Wildlife Service authority to monitor importation and exportation of protected plants; Required that "candidate" species be monitored; Improved procedures for the development and implementation of recovery plans; Required that de-listed species continue to be monitored for five years following their de-listing; Established a "cooperative endangered species conservation fund" to provide matching funds to states for endangered species conservation projects; and
Increased the maximum penalties for violating the ESA, and designated that a potion of the fines levied are to go to conservation efforts.