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  Threatened and Endangered Species

Scientists predict that a quarter of earth’s species will disappear by the year 2050, two generations away. Habitat loss due to the growth of the human population is largely responsible for the exploding extinction rate. The success of the human species now casts us in the role of guardian to those whose survival is threatened by our very presence.

The 1973 Endangered Species Act has heightened awareness and has seen some successes, among them the recovery of the bald eagle, thanks in great part to the ban of the pesticide DDT. In 1994 the American bald eagle was moved from the endangered species list to the less critical list of threatened species. Other at-risk species do not benefit from the type of publicity and emotional appeal afforded the cause of saving the national bird.

Opponents of the Endangered Species Act argue that it provides so much protection to animals and plants that human interests are overlooked. One cost of protecting forest habitats, for instance, is the loss of lumber industry jobs.

A list of endangered and threatened animals and plants protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act is available from the Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street N.W., Room 3024, Washington, D.C. 20240. U.S. species listed include some 200 classified as threatened and more than 600 endangered species. The list also includes more than 1,400 species in other countries.

International agreements concerning the classification and protection of at-risk wildlife is handled through CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). The address of this organization is: 15, Chem des Anemones, Case Postale 456, CH 1219, Chatelaine, Geneva, Switzerland.