|
Over 5,700 scientists with biological expertise from across the county joined an important effort to ensure that the Endangered Species Act (ESA)—the cornerstone of the United States' most basic environmental protections—continues to conserve biodiversity by using the best available science. The Letter from Biologists to the U.S. Senate Concerning Science in the Endangered Species Act highlights the importance of independent scientific principles that are critical to species conservation.
The letter with the full complement of signatures was hand-delivered to each senate office on March 8, 2006. In addition, several scientists personally delivered the letter and met with their senators and staff to discuss the importance of science and scientists to the Endangered Species Act.
Click on a region to download the signers from your state.
In 2005 and 2006 legislation made its way through Congress that could have severely undermined the ESA's scientific principles. A strong, unified statement from biological experts and letters from activists to the U.S. Senate helped protect the ESA's scientific underpinnings and ensured that endangered species policy and practice will continue to conserve biodiversity.
The Impact of the Endangered Species Act
Biological diversity provides food, fiber, medicines, clean water, and many other products and services we depend upon every day. Yet nearly one-third of native species in the United States are at risk of disappearing.
It is clear that the ESA has given new hope for sustained survival to numerous species that were on the brink of extinction—less than one percent of species listed under the ESA have gone extinct since 1973, while 10 percent of candidate species still waiting to be listed have suffered that fate. In addition to the hundreds of species that the Act has protected from extinction, listing has contributed to population increases or the stabilization of population declines for more than 30 percent of listed species, as well as the recovery of such signature species as the peregrine falcon.
The Threat to Science
In August 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that undermined the science behind the ESA in significant ways. First, the legislation transfered the authority of deciding what is the best available science from scientists to political appointees in the Department of Interior. Second, the legislation required decisions affecting species to be based on empirical data—effectively eliminating the use of established scientific techniques such as modeling, population surveys, and taxonomic and genetic studies.
Furthermore, the bill removed species' habitat protection requirements. The Act currently requires the designation and protection of habitat that is "essential to the conservation of the species," including recovery. The House bill eliminated the "critical habitat" requirement and replaced it with the identification of certain areas that are of "special value" to its conservation and are already occupied by the species. There were, however, no guidelines as to what "special value" means, no attention to historical habitat or future habitat the species might occupy, and no requirement or guidelines for habitat protection.
The House legislation would have fundamentally and negatively altered the way science would inform critical decisions affecting endangered and threatened species. Furthermore, it represented a Congressional assault on scientific integrity and the ability of federal scientists to do their jobs.
Learn More, Take Action, and Keep Informed
The protection of scientific information that informs critical endangered species and other science-based decisions requires persistent and energetic engagement from scientists and citizens alike. We invite you to add your voice to a growing number of Americans who are working to protect the integrity of science in federal policy making. Here's how:
Congressional staff: Please email us with questions about this issue. |
