All God’s Creature and The Endangered Species Act. By Julie Peller Ph.D.

Green Junction

Green Junction

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “the Endangered Species Act establishes protections for fish, wildlife, and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered.” It was initiated in December of 1973 and considers the fate of species that have survived for long periods and then notably decreased in population. The decline or loss of a species is usually a sign of pollution and/or loss of habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently made progress in protecting the monarch butterfly, and the formal recommendation will take place over the next year. If the butterfly is successfully added as an endangered species, areas such as the Pacific Grove Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary will likely be protected to rejuvenate the monarch population.

This sanctuary has been a place for the butterflies to overwinter (live through the winter) for decades. In 1997, around 45,000 monarch butterflies were tallied at the sanctuary; the current count is only 228. According to researchers, the western monarch count (https://westernmonarchcount.org/) has declined by 95 percent, and the eastern population has declined by 80 percent since the 1980s. The significant loss of these insects is attributed to several human factors: climate change, the use of pesticides, and the destruction of habitats (breeding, migrating, and overwintering).   

There are cases when the enlistment of species on the endangered list leads to substantial changes that directly benefit humanity. For example, the movement to protect eagles and pelicans ended with a ban on DDT, a toxin that is also harmful to humans. To protect monarchs, there may very well be a need for restrictions on highly toxic pesticides, such as glyphosate and neonicotinoids.

The loss of species should be a warning about unhealthy conditions for life.  “We fail to understand that we have a commitment to God to care for nature.” Saint Oscar Romero

 

Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University). She has been writing a weekly column called The Green Junction for the past seven years and is helping to move the call of Laudato Si to action forward. Her Research Interests are advanced oxidation for aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, Lake Michigan shoreline challenges (Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.