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Funding for Wildlife and Habitat
Federal funding for environmental programs is vital to efforts in our nation to protect the last vestiges of our magnificent natural heritage and to pass on a clean, healthy and vibrant environment to our children. Efforts by federal wildlife agencies to protect endangered species; work by land management agencies to properly manage our national wildlife refuges, parks and forests; and actions by regulatory agencies to keep our air and water clean and stop toxic pollution all depend on adequate funding of their programs.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for the operations and maintenance of the National Wildlife Refuge System with its more than 552 refuges on more than 150 million acres across the country. The Service also administers other important programs that implement the Endangered Species Act, conserve migratory birds, meet our international treaty obligations to protect wildlife around the globe, enforce laws against illegal trade in wildlife and destruction of habitat both here at home and internationally, and provide grants to states and private property owners to protect and enhance wildlife and habitat.
The other land management agencies have crucial roles to play in wildlife and habitat conservation as well. The Bureau of Land Management manages more land, and more wildlife and fish habitat, than any other federal agency, a total of nearly 260 million acres in the western U.S., supporting over 3,000 animal species and more than 300 species awaiting protection or protected under the Endangered Species Act. BLM administers half of the remaining habitat for the imperiled sage grouse and almost 15 million acres of prairie grasslands vital to many declining grassland dependent species. The U.S. Forest Service manages the 193 million acres that make up our national forests and grasslands, home to more than 420 species protected under the Endangered Species Act and an additional 3,500 at-risk species. And 270 of our nation’s 388 national parks contain significant natural resources, including important species of wildlife and their habitat.
Overall funding for federal agency wildlife and habitat protection programs has not come close to matching the importance of our environment to our nation’s well-being nor does has it adequately addressed America’s existing conservation deficit. To make matters worse, these programs have been targeted for damaging cuts over the past six years.
Defenders is working to increase funding for these important programs that protect our nation’s wildlife and habitat. See these links for more details:
