SOME ENDANGERED SPECIES LAWS ARE GOOD BUT SOME ARE NOT

The definition of an “endangered species” is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming extinct. Many nations have laws offering protection to these species: for example, forbidding hunting, restricting land development or creating preserves. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation status of a species; not simply the number remaining.

Internationally, 189 countries have signed an accord agreeing to create Biodiversity Action Plans to protect endangered and other threatened species.
Categories include the following: Extinct: the last remaining member of the species had died. Extinct in the wild: captive individuals survive. Critically endangered: An extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future. Examples: Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Javan Rhino.  Endangered: faces a very high risk of extinction in the near future. Examples: Cheetah, Blue Whale, African Wild Dog

Some endangered species laws are controversial. Typical areas of controversy include: criteria for placing a species on the endangered species list, and criteria for removing a species from the list once its population has recovered. The related question of whether private landowners should be compensated for the loss of use of their land.