The Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973 to protect all plant and animal species that are close to extinction. There are two categories that a species might fall under: Threatened or Endangered. While an endangered species is determined by their population size and the threat level of their survival rate, a threatened species is determined by how close they are to reaching the endangered list. It is the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Commerce who determine whether a species should be added or removed from either list.
When it is believed that a species should either be placed on the endangered list or moved from threatened to endangered status, the Secretary of Commerce must inform the Secretary of the Interior. If the Secretary of the Interior agrees, they will follow through with the requested changes. In return, if they would like to remove any species from either list, the Secretary of Commerce must be in agreement with those changes before they can be made.
If a person or organization would like to see a species added to the endangered or threatened list, they may petition for it to be considered. The petition will prompt the Secretaries to place the species under review. At that time, they will look at the information available and perform studies to determine whether that species will qualify.
Because of the Endangered Species Act, some species have been able to rebuild their numbers while others have successfully been removied from the list.
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