Hobbies And Interests
U.S. Endangered Species Act
In 1973, the United States government enacted the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in an effort to protect endangered animals and plants in the country. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service maintain the provisions of this law by prohibiting any action threatening endangered species, be it hunting or the importation or exportation of endangered species. The FWS maintains a list of all endangered species throughout the world and regularly updates the list in accordance with the most current information.
Non-governmental Organizations
Non-governmental organizations located throughout the world work to protect endangered animals. The most prominent of these, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), works with a number of governments to not only enact laws protecting animals, but also improve the public image of animals so that citizens prove less likely to kill endangered species. WWF maintains a number of corporate partnerships designed to raise money and awareness for environmental causes while creating a globally sustainable marketplace by reducing wildlife trade and improving practices such as foresting, aquaculture, fishing, agriculture and international finance, all of which lead to habitat destruction. Smaller organizations, such as the Cheetah Conservation Fund, focus on a protecting a single species or habitat.
International Action
In 1973, the European Commission created the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The treaty served as an international pact to ensure that the international trade of plants and animals in and through Europe does not threaten the survival of any species. Over 30,000 species receive protection under the treaty. The European Union is not party to the treaty, though all EU nations adhere to the ideals set forth by CITES.
Various moratoriums exist throughout the world regarding endangered or threatened species. A moratorium, as agreed upon by governments of various nations and NGOs, presents a theoretical ban in killing certain animals or destroying certain habitat types. However, because no power holds the authority to enact globally effective laws protecting plants or animals, a moratorium is in no way binding. For instance, a global moratorium on whale killing has been effect since 1986, though as of 2011 the killing of whales still happens throughout the world.
Habitat Preservation
Habitat destruction constitutes one of the primary causes for animal endangerment and declining numbers through many species. The expansion of human communities, deforestation, global warming, mining operations, oil spills, slash and burn agriculture and countless other factors contribute to habitat destruction. In Africa, for instance, human society infringes upon the territory shared by lions, cheetahs, hyenas and African wild dogs. As the lowest predators in the chain, the wild dogs are forced to infringe upon human settlements. Humans then kill the dogs as protective measure. Habitat preservation means protecting the natural habitat of animals so such events don't occur. The Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, for instance, comprises over 500 square miles of land where lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebra and more live protected from hunters and urban or suburban expansion.