Polls show that Americans overwhelmingly support the Endangered Species Act. Even so, the Act is chronically under-funded.

Just as a car runs better with a new set of tires, a change of fluids, and a full tank of gas, species conservation is enhanced when the full array of Endangered Species "recovery tools" are available. Unfortunately, current funding levels often force wildlife officials to do their essential work on a shoestring budget. As a result, some of America's endangered plants and animals languish on the brink of extinction.

Only by providing full, fair funding for wildlife under the Endangered Species Act can Americans meet their responsibility to save species from extinction and restore healthy ecosystems.

The National Wildlife Federation estimates that $470 million for 2008, increasing over the next five years to $693 million, is enough to meet this goal. This is roughly the cost of one cup of coffee ($1.59) per year for each U.S. citizen. Join the fight to protect wildlife by visiting our new adoption center and symbolically adopt an animal today.

Showcase Species	The selected "Showcase Species" (left) demonstrate the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act when it is backed with strong community support for recovering species and has resources dedicated to making recovery happen.
Languishing Species	Conversely, the profiles of "Languishing Species" (left) tell the story of low priority species with little or no dedicated recovery resources. The level of success that the Endangered Species Act has achieved on a limited budget should give impetus to Congress to provide more resources for restoring all of America's threatened and endangered species and the places they call home.

Global Warming: Pushing Wildlife Closer to Extinction

Global warming is the single most urgent threat to wildlife. The science is clear: global warming is happening now and the burning of fossil fuels is the cause. Unless Americans take action to reduce emissions of global warming pollution significantly by mid-century, future generations will inherit a world far less healthy and with fewer wildlife populations than we have today.

As temperatures increase, local climate systems are being altered in ways that directly affect wildlife. For example, disappearing sea ice in the Arctic directly harms polar bears. Drying forests in the western U.S. leads to pests and fires, harming species like the Canada lynx. Disappearing snow pack leads to reduced summer flows in streams and rivers, harming wild trout and salmon.

Imperiled plants and animals already struggle to survive habitat loss, invasive species and pollution. The added stressor of global warming will likely push endangered species closer to extinction. Only through a combination of reducing global warming pollution and redoubling our on-the-ground efforts to protect wildlife will we fully preserve America's conservation legacy for our children. Doing one without the other will not get the job done.