How do species become protected under the Endangered Species Act?

Before a species can receive the protection provided by the Endangered Species Act (ESA), it must first be added to the federal lists of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. A species is added to this list when it is determined that it has met the definition of endangered or threatened under the ESA. Species may also be removed from the list (i.e., “delisted”) when they no longer require ESA protection, or have a change in status (i.e., “reclassified”, for example, from threatened to endangered).

Under the ESA, a species must be listed if it is threatened or endangered because of any of the following five factors:

1. Present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range;
2. Over-utilization of the species for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes;
3. Disease or predation;
4. Inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; and/or
5. Other natural or artificial factors affecting its continued existence.