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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

National Academy of Sciences Report Praises Endangered Species Act

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

May 28, 1995

OVERVIEW & SOURCE

Following is a press release from United States Interior

Secretary, Bruce Babbitt, which welcomes the National Academy of

Sciences' Report on Endangered Species issues, which has been

widely reported on in major US newspapers. After months of

Congressional environmental backstepping on the Endangered Species

Act, the report lends credence to the scientific basis for

biodiversity protection. In particular, the ESA is shown to be

based on sound biological science. Babbitt states the "academy's

report clearly tells us that the only way to prevent extinctions

is to protect the natural habitat of threatened and endangered

plants and animals." This item was posted in econet's

env.wildlife conference.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

/* Written 5:29 PM May 25, 1995 by ndallen@io.org in

igc:env.wildlife */

/* ---------- "Babbitt welcomes End. Species repor" ---------- */

Received by EcoNet on 5/25;95:

Here is a press release from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

I downloaded the press release from the U.S. Newswire BBS in

Maryland at (410) 363-0834. I do not work for the U.S. government.

Interior Secretary Says National Academy of Sciences' Report

Provides Important Guidance on Endangered Species Issues

Contact: Bob Walker of the U.S. Department of the Interior,

202-208-6416

WASHINGTON, May 24 -- Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt today

issued the following statement in response to the publication of a

National Academy of Sciences' report: "Science and the Endangered

Species Act."

"The academy's independent report comes at an important moment

in the national debate about reauthorization of the Endangered

Species Act, and I look forward to reviewing it in detail. This

report provides a scientific check-point against which anyone can

measure the strengths and weaknesses of various reform proposals.

"The Endangered Species Act is not perfect, but this report

tells us that the current law is built on the foundation of sound

biological science. Over the last two years we have made

substantial progress in utilizing the flexibility of the law. The

academy's report clearly tells us that the only way to prevent

extinctions is to protect the natural habitat of threatened and

endangered plants and animals.

"The approach to assure sound science and effectively protect

habitat through wider participation is exactly what we've been

doing for the past two and a half years. I am particularly

pleased to see the academy's endorsement of Habitat Conservation

Plans (HCPs) on public and private lands in the report because

that's exactly what we've been focusing on across the country.

Prior to 1993 there were just 14 conservation plans (HCPs) in

place and in the last two years we've completed another 62 and

have approximately 160 in progress.

"The National Academy has also given us important guidance in

separating scientific facts from fiction. The academy report

finds, for example, that the scientific information and

statistical analysis required for listing decisions are not biased

toward unnecessary listings. In practice, the Fish and Wildlife

Service has rejected about 70 percent of the listing applications

reviewed since 1990. America without an Endangered Species Act is

a nation without an environmental safety net and a nation less

beautiful than the one we know today."

###RELAYED TEXT ENDS###

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