Back to Basics on Endangered Species Conservation Webinar

Dr. Adam Janke, associate professor and wildlife extension specialist at Iowa State University shared, “Back to Basics on Endangered Species Conservation” to provide a context for why the US Environmental Protection Agency is revising policies and rules related to pesticide use. This excellent presentation breaks down several complex topics into a short, interesting and relevant resource.

Dr. Janke began by explaining what endangered means and how population counts, changes in population numbers and population distribution can be used to determine whether conservation efforts are needed. For a species to thrive, it must be able to fulfill its basic needs for food, water and shelter. Conservation efforts often focus on providing habitat. The better the population decline is understood, the more effective the conservation efforts become. Relevant examples were shared to help explain how populations can recover by reducing deaths, increasing births or survival of young or by connecting populations that were isolated from each other.

Conservation efforts need to include both public and private lands. In some areas, this is because there isn’t enough public land to achieve conservation goals, but private land can also provide spaces for wildlife to travel between larger habitats. Ideally, conservation efforts occur before species numbers decline to the level where it is “endangered.” This benefits everyone because the species does not have to be listed as endangered, additional rules and regulations can be avoided, and wildlife also thrives. Collaborative, proactive conservation efforts are the prerogative of Conservation without Conflict, an organization working to create public and private partnerships to accomplish conservation goals.

When population numbers do decline to extreme lows, the species is reviewed and may be designated as endangered. A list of endangered species in each state can be found here. This process is handled by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Listing a species is considered a last resort, but once that decision is made, regulations increase at the federal level to protect the species and its habitat. The US Fish and Wildlife Service works with state agencies to implement conservation efforts and enforce the rules that protect the species. Collaboration across federal agencies is also expected; therefore the US Environmental Protection Agency has a responsibility to ensure that the pesticide products it approves are used in ways that will not affect endangered species. This is why there has been so much recent effort to update pesticide rules, including additional restrictions in locations that have been designated as “critical habitat” for an endangered species. 

Learn more about the Endangered Species Act on the US Environmental Protection Agency website.

Other resources related to changes in pesticide rules can be found here.