The Endangered Species Act, 50 Years Later

(Image credit: Bryan Hanson/Unsplash)

Fifty years ago, the United States Congress passed a bill that ensured protection and conservation of all threatened species found within United States territory. That bill was the Endanged Species Act (ESA). It was signed by then President Richard Nixon, and it is said to have rescued 99% of the species listed as endangered.

But the ESA is now under threat. It's no secret that such an undertaking requires funding, and currently, debates around the logistics of the operation as well as the economic burdens that it supposedly causes on many industries in the US.

What will this mean for the thousands, or even tens of thousands of endemic species in the US that are on the brink of extinction?