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Science 10 March 2006:
Vol. 311. no. 5766, p. 1359
DOI: 10.1126/science.311.5766.1359c
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ScienceScope

Thousands of biologists and the Union of Concerned Scientists are asking the U.S. Senate to heed "sound scientific principles" and preserve the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Last September, the House narrowly passed a bill that would overhaul the ESA, taking private economic interests into account when deciding which species to protect and how (Science, 30 September 2005, p. 2150). Now it's the Senate's turn to weigh the proposed changes.

"There is a great deal right with the Endangered Species Act," says conservation biologist Stuart Pimm of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Pimm is a leader of the effort, which has garnered 5738 biologists supporting a letter calling for a "strengthened" ESA that is fully funded and implemented. They say the ESA is "the ultimate safety net in our life-support system." Opponents say the ESA hinders development and is ineffective at species recovery. But supporters say that less than 1% of listed species have gone extinct, as opposed to 10% of species waiting to be listed. Senate legislation is expected to be introduced in the next few weeks.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)