The Rhetoric of Delisting Species Under the Endangered Species Act: How to Declare Victory Without Winning the War

Even though the US remains in the middle of a biological crisis, with human population growth, climate change, and wildlife habitat destruction continuing to reduce the chances for nonhuman species, there is political pressure to show results of the Endangered Species Act by declaring species recove...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental law reporter 2001-11, Vol.31 (11), p.11302-11302
Main Author: Cheever, Federico
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Even though the US remains in the middle of a biological crisis, with human population growth, climate change, and wildlife habitat destruction continuing to reduce the chances for nonhuman species, there is political pressure to show results of the Endangered Species Act by declaring species recovered and removing them from the lists of protected species. A review is provided of the final and proposed delisting rules and the rhetoric they contain. This rhetoric pertains to a false promise of biological security, reliance on federal laws other than the Endangered Species Act, diminishing perceptions of danger to species over time, and reliance on state and local law. It is argued that delisting tends to focus on the present basis for making a decision, rather than on the long-term consequences, and while the policy holds that a specie can be relisted if circumstances change, it may be an ineffective approach to species protection.
ISSN:0046-2284