SOS: 50 years after the Endangered Species Act (rebroadcast)

Scientists predict that more than 1 million species will become extinct in the coming decades. This is what the Center for Biological Diversity says.

When a species becomes extinct, entire ecosystems are affected. The consequences can be dire for those who rely on these species for survival.

It’s been fifty years since Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 to protect US plants and animals from extinction.

More than 99 percent of the more than 1,600 species considered endangered or threatened have survived.

But the work to protect our country’s biodiversity is far from over.

Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it was decriminalizing 21 species due to extinction. It included one species of bat and ten species of birds.

Fifty years later, what has the Endangered Species Act accomplished? And how should we think about the next fifty years of nature conservation?

This week we’re talking about endangered species for a series celebrating the 50th anniversary of the landmark legislation. We call it ‘SOS: Save Our Species’. We will also talk about keystone species and how we reintroduce animals if they have disappeared from an area.

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