Reforms for a More Effective Protection of Endangered Whales, Tigers and Pandas

Administrative and legal reforms for a more effective protection of endangered whales, tigers and pandas are presented.

Introduction

Environmental Interest groups contend with a number of obstacles in achieving their objective, for public interest, to get certain species declared as endangered or/and protecting the habitat of the endangered species. By law, a number of criteria need to be met for species to be declared endangered and their habitats protected against other vying human interests, which could harm the endangered species. In balancing the contending human interests the EIG’s have to always present a case that can be judiciously supported. However, presenting judiciously supportable cases require strict conditions. This and sometimes the basic human perception of endangerment as a natural process put constraints on EIG’s operations.

First, International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) compile a Red List, (IUCN, 2007), based on certain criteria, for endangered species. Whales, Tigers, and Pandas are in the Red List. By Endangered Species Act (ESA), (Baur and Irvin, 2002), a species is endangered if it is “in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range”, or a species may be threatened if “it is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range”.

The areas within which the endangered species are found are referred to as “critical habitat”. These are (Baur and Irvin, 2002) “specific areas within the geographical area occupied by the species”, which are “essential to the conservation of the species…which may require special management considerations or protection. Under the statute, the assessment of endangerment of a species is measured (Baur and Irvin, 2002) using five factors:

• The present or threatened destruction, modification or curtailment of the species’ habitat or range
• Over utilizationfor commercial, recreational, scientific or educational purposes
• Disease or predation
• The inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms
• Other natural or man-made factors affecting the species’ continued existence

Economic considerations have no relevance in determining the status of species; that is, accounts are taken of the efforts of other international agencies, and only on the basis of best scientific and commercial data. Other various factors are also taken into consideration in according a species a conservation (an endangered) status. A few examples of such factors include the overall decrease or increase in the population of the species over time, breeding success rates, known threats and the number of the species remaining.