This handbook is a guide to the federal Endangered Species Act, the primary U.S. law aimed at protecting species of animals and plants from human threats to their survival. It is intended for lawyers, government agency employees, students, community activists, businesspeople, and any citizen who wants to understand the Act--its history, provisions, accomplishments, and failures.

"As Secretary of the Interior, implementing the Endangered Species Act was one of my most important, and challenging, responsibilities. All who deal with this complex and critical law need a clear and comprehensive guide to its provisions, interpretation, and implementation. With chapters written by some of the foremost practitioners in the field, the new edition of Endangered Species Act: Law, Policy, and Perspectives is an essential reference for conservationists and the regulated community and the attorneys who represent them."---Bruce Babbbitt, former Secretary of the Interior --

Endangered Species: Legal Requirements and Policy Guidance was developed as a tool to assist environmentalists in the use of existing source materials related to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), and to help them better understand what is expected and required for ESA and MMPA compliance. The book contains an introduction and overview of the threatened and endangered species programs, the statutes and applicable regulations, guidance memoranda, an excerpt from the Interagency Consultation Handbook, and a summary of selected precedent-setting or recent legal cases that interpret the ESA and MMPA and implementing regulations. The guide also contains definitions of numerous terms and a cross-index to trace particular issues throughout all of the source materials. The official documents are presented without editing of content or format, allowing one to follow an issue(s) through the laws, regulations, guidance, and court cases. This tool allows a student or an environmental professional to quickly and efficiently pull together all of the official guidance on a large number of common and some not-so-common endangered species issues. Available in both book and CD format.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 protects plant and animal species that are either facing extinction or are likely to face extinction in the foreseeable future and protects the ecosystems upon which they depend. It includes provisions for listing species that need protection, designating habitat deemed critical to a species' survival, developing recovery plans, and protecting species against harm. Over the last 10 years, the auditor has reported on many of the major program areas of the ESA -- listing, critical habitat, recovery, and the consultation process by which fed. agencies ensure that their actions do not cause harm to listed species. This report discusses recommend. that have and have not been implemented. Charts and tables.