Science and the Endangered Species Act - Softcover

National Research Council; Commission On Life Sciences; Board On Environmental Studies And Toxicology; Committee On Scientific Issues In The Endangered Species Act

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0309090172 ISBN 13: 9780309090179

Publisher: National Academies Press, 1995

Synopsis

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is a far-reaching law that has sparked intense controversies over the use of public lands, the rights of property owners, and economic versus environmental benefits.

In this volume a distinguished committee focuses on the science underlying the ESA and offers recommendations for making the act more effective.

The committee provides an overview of what scientists know about extinction--and what this understanding means to implementation of the ESA. Habitat--its destruction, conservation, and fundamental importance to the ESA--is explored in detail.

The book analyzes

• Concepts of species--how the term "species" arose and how it has been interpreted for purposes of the ESA.
• Conflicts between species when individual species are identified for protection, including several case studies.
• Assessment of extinction risk and decisions under the ESA--how these decisions can be made more effectively. The book concludes with a look beyond the Endangered Species Act and suggests additional means of biological conservation and ways to reduce conflicts. It will be useful to policymakers, regulators, scientists, natural-resource managers, industry and environmental organizations, and those interested in biological conservation.

Table of Contents

• Front Matter
• Executive Summary
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Species Extinctions
• 3 Species Definitions and the Endangered Species Act
• 4 The Role of Habitat Conservation and Recovery Planning
• 5 Modern Perspectives of Habitat
• 6 Conservation Conflicts Between Species
• 7 Estimating Risk
• 8 Making ESA Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty
• 9 Areas of Scientific Uncertainty
• 10 Beyond the Endangered Species Act
• Appendix A
• Appendix B
• Appendix C Biographical Information on Committee Members
• Index

About this title

About the Author:

Committee on Scientific Issues in the Endangered Species Act, National Research Council

About this edition

• Publisher: National Academies Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0309090172
• ISBN 13: 9780309090179
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288