BEST OF: SOS: 50 Years After The Endangered Species Act
A blunt-nosed leopard lizard, listed as endangered, sits in the blackened and charred grass of the Almond Fire which which burned over 5,200 acres in Lost Hills, California. DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A blunt-nosed leopard lizard, listed as endangered, sits in the blackened and charred grass of the Almond Fire which which burned over 5,200 acres in Lost Hills, California.
DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Center for Biological Diversity predicts that more than 1 million species could go extinct in the coming decades.
When a species goes extinct, there are consequences for entire ecosystems. The effects can be dire for those who depend on those species to survive.
It's been 50 years since Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 to protect plants and animals in the U.S. from extinction.
Over 99 percent of the more than 1,600 species listed as endangered or threatened have survived.
But the work to protect our nation's biodiversity is far from over.
Just last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it was delisting 21 species from the act due to extinction. It included one species of bat and 10 kinds of birds.
Fifty years later, what has the Endangered Species Act accomplished? And how should we be thinking about the next 50 years of conservation?
Our series, "SOS: Save Our Species," looks back at 50 years of the landmark legislation and its future.
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.