The Endangered Species Act (ESA), when properly implemented and funded, is intended to save all species, including our own, from irreparable injury. We protect wildlife species not only because all life deserves our respect and appreciation, but also because species serve as indicators of the health or condition of the ecosystems upon which all life depends. The ESA is a critically important law because it requires developers, politicians, biologists, industrialists - all citizens - to consider how their actions affect species and associated ecosystems.
If ever the ESA were needed, it is needed now, when development and consumption trends point to the accelerated degradation of natural habitat. Yet, despite a burgeoning public interest in and respect for wildlife and the natural world, the ESA has never been in such grave danger as it is today. A well-funded campaign of misinformation is eroding support for the Act all across the country. A congressional majority critical of federal regulations is considering proposals that, if enacted, could erode the Act's protections.