Deseret News. (February 10, 2020), “Guest Opinion: Positive changes to the Endangered Species Act” Retrieved March 8, 2020

https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2020/2/10/21124993/endangered-species-act-esa-australia

 

Recently, the Congressional Western Caucus discussed possible changes to the Endangered Species Act that would help encourage cooperation between local efforts to conserve native species and the federal agencies. Officials suggest that the framework of the Endangered Species Act could be more effective with more collaboration between the federal government and local governments as well as local tribes. In the past, local governments have proven to be more productive with their accurate knowledge of the native species as well as their connections with local organizations for creating potential partnerships. The changes made to the Endangered Species Act would provide incentives to local farmers and ranchers to help protect endangered species of the area.  

It’s always good to see the local government not only recognizing local Native American tribes but also reaching out for their input. In the past projects led by Native American groups have been extremely successful such as the wildlife crossing corridors considering the wide range of knowledge about nature that comes from Native American culture. Although it is upsetting that environmental efforts are often forced to provide incentives to see action, incentives can sometimes be the most effective method. Many Americans, specifically business leaders, prioritize profit over their environmental impacts therefore at times it can be challenging to get participation from such groups. For ranchers their entire livelihood depends upon their work thus most ranchers are unable to make major sacrifices on behalf of endangered species however incentives provide a solution to this problem.