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Endangered Species Act (ESA) Reform

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Title: Endangered Species Act (ESA) Reform


1
Endangered Species Act (ESA) Reform
2
Picture this
  • A 100 million five-star resort, spa, and golf
    course ceased development due to an existing
    habitat for the migratory Oregon Spotted Butterfly

3
Background
  • In the 1950s, America increased the development
    of untapped lands, paying little attention to
    environmental care.
  • With the increase of automobiles and factories,
    pollution became a rising issue.
  • This resulted in an increased scarcity of
    resources, and raised awareness of much needed
    environmental protection.

4
Importance of Biodiversity
  • Biological diversity is the interaction and
    cohabitation of the various species of animals,
    plants, fungi, and microorganisms that inhabit a
    particular area or ecosystem.
  • More than 25 of medicines and more than 3,000
    antibiotics were originally derived from various
    endangered organisms.
  • The depletion of habitat resources, like
    nutrients, spatial environments, and other
    survival necessities, is placing enormous
    pressure on remaining natural resources.
  • Ecologic interdependence is extremely important.

5
The Creation of ESA
  • In the late 1960s, peoples concern about
    environmental preservation was steadily
    increasing.
  • In 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was
    created to preserve biodiversity and protect
    potentially endangered species.

6
Current Policies
  • The US Fish and Wildlife Service currently
    enforces the ESA and its listing processes.
  • Landowners are restricted from further developing
    any property that inhabits an endangered species.
  • Consequences for violating the ESA include
    potential jail time and immense monetary fines.
  • Landowners responsibilities for endangered
    species are numerous.

7
Problems with the ESA
  • Landowners are unfairly compensated for their
    financial losses due to ESA restrictions.
  • Farmland water diverted to save Chinook salmon
    and Delta Smelt
  • Result 26 million in damages

8
Problems, cont.
  • Human lives are jeopardized
  • Damaged levees could not be repaired due to
    Elderberry Beetle habitat
  • Result 3 deaths
  • Fire brush could not be removed due to Stephens
    Kangaroo Rat habitat
  • Result Millions in property damage

9
Problems, cont.
  • Listing fallacies and recovery planning are
    inefficient and inaccurate.
  • Grey Wolves and Grizzly Bears endangered in
    continental US
  • However, tens of thousands roam Canada and Alaska

10
Problems, cont.
  • ESA restrictions are damaging corporate economies
    as well as endangered species populations.
  • Timber harvesters cut trees to prevent
    inhabitation of Red Cockaded Woodpecker
  • Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up
  • If woodpeckers were forced to inhabit elsewhere,
    then they would not damage the economies of
    various corporations.

11
Alternative Solutions
  • Canada
  • Based on the United States ESA
  • Attempted to correct ESA private
  • property problems associated
  • primarily with property
  • compensation
  • Australia
  • Introduced national park fencing system
  • Based on voluntary involvement by private
    property owners (no official government
    legislation is currently enforced).

12
A New Solution
  • Creation of a new committee called the Endangered
    Species Services (ESS)
  • 13 regional committees headed by a single
    national committee formed by regional leaders
  • The ESS will work along side the US Fish and
    Wildlife Service, as well as the National Marine
    Fisheries Service, as a committee under the
    Department of the Interior.
  • Committees implement new recovery processes and
    give individual species attention.

13
Wheres the money coming from?
  • The ESS acts as an efficiency committee. It will
    be used to cut back the 400 million annually in
    expenditures currently used for court settlements
    and compensation.
  • This will reduce the number of court cases and
    increase the number of species recovery plans.

14
How does this solve the problem?
  • The ESS will provide fair compensation in a
    timely fashion. (For example, the San Joaquin
    Farmers situation ten year layover)
  • Accurate listing information will assist in the
    enforcement of better recovery processes that are
    specific to each economic and environmental
    situation.

15
How is this better than existing ESA policy?
  • Currently, the ESA is not efficient in protecting
    the species or compensating the landowners. Our
    policy will
  • Create a compromise between species recovery and
    property compensation.
  • Landowners will be able to use their land and
    resources more economically. They will be
    getting the most out of their time, money, and
    efforts.
  • Property owners will not be tempted to rid their
    land of a noted endangered species
  • Species numbers will eventually increase since
    the risk of landowners killing off inhabiting
    species will significantly decrease.

16
But will it solve everything?
  • Obviously the implementation of our committee is
    only a minimal step to solving much larger
    problems surrounding the current ESA policy.
  • If our policy solved everything, the problem
    wouldnt exist! (and we would be on our way to
    Washington)
  • However, our step is a significant one in that it
    will initiate the reform process in an effort to
    balance the benefit between species recovery and
    property compensation.

17
  • Questions?
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