The daily wire

Bureaucrats saved just 3% of endangered species in 50 years of the Act.

Low Recovery Rates ⁢of Endangered Species Raise Concerns

Over the last ⁣50 ⁤years, federal bureaucrats have managed to recover ⁣only three percent of endangered species, despite ⁣the expansive authority, ‍powers, and funding granted to them by the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

According to a new ⁢ report from the⁢ conservation nonprofit⁤ Property & Environment Research⁤ Center (PERC), the lead agencies implementing the ESA, NOAA Fisheries and‍ the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), recovered only​ 57 out of​ the ⁣1,732 domestic endangered species: ⁣or, 3.3%.

The success rate ⁢declined further when PERC reviewed‌ recovery data for all listed species in addition to ⁢domestic: only 71⁢ out ⁤of 2,378 ‌endangered species under that classification recovered, or ​2.6%.

FWS projected to recover — or,⁣ delist — 300 species by this year. Only⁢ 13 ⁢recovered according to FWS projections, while 44 had ‌no⁣ recovery rate predicted: ​a‌ 4% accuracy rate.

Cost to Taxpayers​ and Ineffectiveness

“This low recovery rate has⁢ raised questions about the act’s ability to motivate the actions needed to⁣ recover species to the ‍point that they no longer need​ the law’s‌ protections,”⁣ stated PERC.

The 3% success⁢ rate has cost American taxpayers billions. 2023 ‌appropriations for EWA efforts totaled over $167.9 million‌ alone. (All searchable budgets ⁣dating back to 1983 located ‌ here). That’s not ⁤including the pervasive “sue⁤ and settle” problem: in⁤ 2017, ​the Government Accountability⁤ Office (GAO) reported 141 lawsuits concerning missed ESA deadlines on issuing⁤ findings to list potential endangered species.

The‍ House Committee on ⁢Natural Resources reported in 2018 that attorneys⁣ fees have‍ ranged​ over $2 million in those lawsuits, with 10 environmental advocacy groups accounting ‍for 80%⁢ of the cases.

The Endangered Species Act and Recovery Challenges

The ESA — passed with bipartisan support in 1973, three ⁣years ⁣after the first Earth Day celebration — ⁢allows the federal government to issue protective measures ⁣for threatened and endangered ‍fish, wildlife, and plants, such as ⁣preventing development of major public services ⁤like dams and pipelines, limit private property owners from using ‌their land ‍freely, and ⁣imposing⁤ punishments of hefty fines and⁣ imprisonment.

A PERC spokesperson told⁤ The Daily Wire in an email ⁢that the current recovery measures ‍have proven burdensome and ineffective.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE‍ DAILY‍ WIRE​ APP

“The Endangered Species Act ⁣should​ be guided by what’s⁢ best for helping species⁤ recover, and the poor recovery rate tells‍ us that it’s falling ‌short of its ⁣own goals,” ⁤said PERC. “As a former Fish and Wildlife Service administrator once⁤ lamented, ‘The incentives ‌are wrong here.‌ If‌ I have a rare metal on my property, its value goes up. ⁢But if a rare bird occupies the land, its value ​disappears.’ Addressing that disconnect may help⁢ more species recover and thrive.”

PERC added that two-thirds of endangered species are ‍located on private lands: a​ fact that could be the key‌ to ‌far better ⁣recovery‍ rates.

“Improving the incentives for private landowners to restore habitat and⁢ perform⁢ proactive recovery efforts is ⁤important for ‍recovery ‌outcomes, and something​ we will explore further in a future report,” said PERC.

Recovery Plans and Progress

PERC’s report also observed that ⁣287 species have been on the endangered ⁢species list for years, even decades, past their projected recovery ​dates. PERC estimated that ⁢it ‍would take FWS another 70⁣ years ‍to ⁤recover ‍those​ 287 species‌ based on ⁣the⁢ current recovery rate: about‌ four species per year over the last decade.

This recent analysis of FWS⁣ data counters ​the FWS press‍ release issued in February characterizing the agency’s ESA efforts as a success. The ‌FWS credited itself for preventing extinction of 99% of listed endangered ‌species:⁢ one aspect ‍of the ESA’s two-fold purpose.⁣ However, the‌ FWS neglected to disclose the data concerning​ the other half of⁤ its ⁣two-fold purpose:‌ its recovery rates.

As part of extinction prevention ⁣and recovery, the ‌ESA directs⁢ FWS to implement recovery plans. PERC discovered that FWS made “little progress” on‌ its recovery plans. Only six species had 75% ⁢or more of actions either fully or partially completed within their ⁤recovery plans. 1,025 species had‌ less than 25% of actions either​ fully or ​partially completed within their recovery plans.

The lack of ‌recovery⁣ plan progress doesn’t correspond with how long a species has been listed as endangered. In fact, PERC found that more than‌ 90% of species​ listed as endangered for 30​ or more years had⁣ either fully or partially⁤ completed less than‌ 25% of recovery objectives: an average⁢ of 10% completion.

It appears ‍the FWS recovery ⁣plans don’t translate to​ recovery rates. The 3% of recovered species, on average, had about 28% of their recovery plan objectives completed when they⁢ recovered.

“This ⁢suggests that, in addition to the ⁢Fish and Wildlife Service making little progress on the actions it has identified in recovery​ plans, those ⁢actions may not ⁤capture⁢ what is most important for effective species recovery,” stated ‌PERC. “It ⁤may also imply that species ⁢are often recovering for reasons unrelated to the agency’s recovery efforts.”

Reform and Future Efforts

The PERC report⁤ comes out several‍ weeks after the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, ⁤Wildlife and Fisheries held an oversight hearing on‍ the ESA. The chairman, ‍Arkansas Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman, declared that the ESA ⁤was in severe need of reform due to abuses that resulted in growth of bureaucratic power — especially under the Biden administration. The committee launched ⁣an ⁢ESA working​ group to study the ‌act and propose reforms.

“This continues to this day under the Biden‌ administration, which has misused ​the ESA ⁢and has stifled everything from forest management to future energy production through⁢ burdensome ESA ⁣regulations,” said Westerman.

PERC’s report ‍includes a dashboard detailing the recovery data ‍of all endangered species.



" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

Related Articles

Sponsored Content
Back to top button
Available for Amazon Prime
Close

Adblock Detected

Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker