How can the Endangered Species Act Critical Habitat Designation Process be Revised to Provide Better Protection for Listed Species Today and Under Future Range Shift Scenarios due to Climate Change?

Humans have interacted with the flora and fauna of Earth in many ways throughout our evolutionary history. Whether that be from a place of fascination, or as a resource to be exploited, humans have relied upon the millions of species that share the Earth with them. These interactions have led humans to both destroy and degrade ecosystems, but also to conserve ecosystems so that they may continue to provide their services and intrinsic value. A major shift in exploitation of wildlife began around the advent of industrialization and the acceleration of technological advancement. The ability and rate at which species could be exploited, introduced to novel areas, or exterminated entirely increased at a rapid pace. Since the 1500s, humans have caused over 500 extinctions of terrestrial species alone (Carey 2015). But as the ability to destroy has been amplified, so has the ability to utilize technology to protect species on the brink of extinction. A major way this happens is through legislation passed by nations with the intent of protecting and recovering species that are facing extinction. The Endangered Species Act (hereafter referred to as “ESA”) is a piece of legislation passed in 1973 by Congress with the aim to: “to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved, and to provide a program for the conservation of such endangered species and threatened species.” (16 USC § 1531 (b))