Endangered Species Funding: Government Overpays Some And Underpays Others

Putting money into recovery efforts for endangered and threatened species can lead to successful recovery, but not all the time. In fact, a large amount of government funding for these efforts falls short of what is necessary for the species recovery, leaving them no better off than they were before. A new study by Arizona State University researcher Leah Gerber examined this issue by analyzing government spending on endangered and threatened species with the goal of finding out how the process can be made more efficient. The results revealed that despite receiving more funding than requested, some species continue to decline. These species are "costly yet futile" according to Gerber, and funding for these types of species should be funneled elsewhere to save more species. Gerber also revealed that only 12 percent of the 1,500 species on the endangered and threatened list are receiving the full amount of funding that was requested for their recovery plans, whereas a number of others actually receive more than was requested. Increases in funding can help, but in many situations some species still decline even with adequate help...more