WildEarth Guardians

A Force for Nature

Select Page

Photo Credit: Jeff Servoss, USFWS

How does the Endangered Species Act work? – Well, but only when species are formally listed under the law.

On the ESA Waiting List

The Endangered Species Act is one of the strongest environmental statutes in our nation—and the world—but it cannot protect a species that is not formally listed under the law.

After reviewing a species for listing, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has authority over land-based species, has three options: propose the species for “threatened” or “endangered” status; declare the species doesn’t warrant listing; or announce the species deserves to be listed, but can’t be proposed due to other, higher-priority actions (“warranted but precluded”). Species found to be “warranted but precluded” are placed on the candidate list, where they may wait indefinitely without protection under the Act. This loophole in the listing process delayed protection for years for hundreds of imperiled species. Such delays can have tragic effects: candidates have gone extinct while awaiting listing.

You Can Protect Endangered Species

If you value native wildlife and want to see all imperiled species protected, get the latest updates, action alerts, articles and event invites from WildEarth Guardians.

SIGN UP FOR E-NEWSLETTER

Historic Milestone

In 2011, more than 250 species were on the candidate list, and more than 80 percent of them were first recognized to warrant listing more than 10 years before that. Some species lingered on the candidate list for decades; for example, more than 50 plants petitioned by the Smithsonian Institute in 1975 were still stuck on the candidate list. “Higher-priority actions” that prevented candidate listing were often delayed, and the actual number of listings slowed to a near-standstill.

WildEarth Guardians broke this “listing logjam” by entering into a historic settlement agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, requiring it to make final decisions on whether to protect 252 candidate species. The settlement concluded in September 2016, with about 70 percent of the candidate species either granted protections under the Endangered Species Act or proposed for listing.

Defend the Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Act is our country’s most essential environmental law protecting plants and animals, yet some members of Congress want to weaken the law. Tell Congress you value native wildlife and want to see all imperiled species protected.

SEND A LETTER

Recent Stories From Wildlife

Help us to Oppose Montana House Bill 372

March 13, 2023

HB 372 would open the door for catastrophic consequences to our native wildlife, providing a right to “hunt, fish, trap, and harvest wild fish and wildlife.”

Read more >

Wildlife Press

A dancing bird finally gets some protection

Carlsbad Current Argus | Apr 5, 2023

What I remember most about that dark early morning of crouching on the prairie is the rhythmic sound of pounding. It was so loud I wondered if someone had put a microphone near the skinny legs of the dozen birds dancing on the turf.

Read more >

All Wildlife Op-Eds

Rusty the wolf developed a taste for livestock. So the government had him killed.

Albuquerque Journal | May 19, 2023

A leader of the pack of critically endangered Mexican gray wolves in New Mexico was killed last month by federal officials because of his recent penchant for hunting livestock, according to Fish and Wildlife Service officials.

Read more >

All Wildlife In the News

We want to stay in touch with you

Receive regular updates from WildEarth Guardians in your inbox.

"*" indicates required fields