The Endangered Species Act, 50 Years Later

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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?

Hawaii: The Extinction Capital of the World

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I bet we're all aware that due to several climate and environmental factors, many species in the world are going extinct. Currently, there are more than 44,000 species on the verge of extinction, according to the IUCN's Red List of Endangered Species. And many species including Hawaiian snails are under threat of extinction.

In fact, many species that have gone extinct were native to Hawaii. Efforts are being made to conserve and preserve these species funded by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Different labs in Hawaii are working to keep them alive, just like David Sischo's lab which is part of Hawaii's Snail Extinction Prevention Program (SEPP).

Apart from snails, there are also birds, insects, fish, and plants which have gone extinct over the decades. In fact, just recently, the US Fish and Wildlife Service formally declared 21 species extinct worldwide. And eight of those were Hawaiian birds.

Read more at Vox.