Kudos to Tom Darin!

An article by Tom Darin, WOC’s Director of Public Lands and Resources, appears in the latest issue of the prestigious Harvard Environmental Law Review (Vol. 24, No. 1).

In his article, titled, "Designating Critical Habitat Under the Endangered Species Act: Habitat Protection Versus Agency Discretion," Tom argues that when Congress passed the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), it noted that the leading cause of animal and plant species extinctions has been, and continues to be, loss of habitat.

"The vital and only component of the ESA regarding protection of habitat is the mandatory duty placed upon the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to designate critical habitat for a species at the time of its listing," he writes. "Unfortunately, FWS has consistently abused this provision and, to date, less than 10% of all listed species have a critical habitat designation. This ultimately imperils the very species the ESA was intended to protect."  If you’d like a copy of Tom’s article, please contact WOC.