The Living Earth
By the late 60s the steady conversion of lands for residential and commercial use was done with little thought of the indigenous animal populations being displaced and even destroyed.
With ecological awareness came the realization that not only are these animals valuable in their own right, but they serve as indicators of the health of the land they inhabit.
The Endangered Species Act in 1973 established a list of protected animals close to extinction. The campaign for species preservation found its first cause in the bald eagle. Its symbolic value made it a compelling poster boy. By 1994, it had been taken off the list.
The past 20 years have also seen the re-introduction of the California Condor and the Grey Wolf into their native habitats.
While the list of endangered animals continues to grow, the ESA has also proven an effective legal tool in protection of forest and wetlands from logging and farming.
