Continuing Conservation to Recovery and Beyond

Our study “Measuring the Success of the Endangered Species Act” found that the majority of threatened and endangered species has increased or become stable since being listed under the Endangered Species Act. This finding, however, does not suggest work to protect and recover these precious plants and animals can stop. On the contrary, the success of the Endangered Species Act thus far serves as strong evidence that protections for endangered species can work and do work; protections and conservation efforts must continue if these plants and animals are going to survive and recover.

Just because the population is increasing does not mean a species has recovered and can be removed from the endangered species list; endangered species must reach a target sustainable population level before they can be considered recovered. In fact, for most species, even recovery to the point that the species can be removed from the endangered species list does not mean the end of conservation efforts to improve habitat and enhance populations of that species. Furthermore, some species continue to face a high risk of extinction due to continuing, increasing, or changing threats, even though population numbers overall have increased since listing.

For example, although protections reduced some threats to right whale survival, mortality from ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear have increasingly put the whale at risk. Some populations of leatherback sea turtles have increased due to protection of nesting habitat on beaches within the United States, but serious threats to the turtle persist in their marine habitat due to the impacts of fishing practices. Florida manatee populations have increased overall since listing but deaths due to increasing development and boat traffic have increased as well.

For these species and many others, including many that are consistently increasing, it is critical that protections and conservation efforts continue, and in many cases increase, to allow them to reach full recovery.