Overview

Since 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been the most important U.S. law protecting plants and animals at risk of extinction. The ESA conserves species by regulating activities that may harm species and by facilitating species recovery. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is responsible for conserving the majority of listed species under the ESA, a function that has been impeded by inadequate funding from Congress.

Island fox — Photo courtesy of National Park Service

Several fox species (Urocyon littoralis) of the Channel Islands were recovered and delisted in 2016. Success stories such as these highlight the importance of properly funding the ESA.

Funding Needs

Species Recovery Has Been Chronically Underfunded

Congress has provided only a small fraction of the funds needed for recovery. Data from Gerber (2016) shown here illustrate this shortchanging. From 1980 to 2014, the vast majority of listed species with recovery plans were underfunded - receiving less than 90% of the amount needed for recovery.

Source: Gerber, LR (2016). PNAS 113(13): 3563-3566

Funding Trends

Funding Has Not Kept Pace with Species Listings

Not only has Congress underfunded recovery for decades, but the amount of funding per species^* has decreased since 2010, after adjusting for inflation. This drop has occurred across all endangered species programs at FWS. This decline is the result of the ESA budget decreasing since 2010, combined with the continued increase in the number of listed species. Prior to this decline, the per species budget had been stagnant for almost a decade.

Use the dropdown button to see total annual appropriations.

^*Per species budget calculated as total appropriations - adjusted for inflation to 2018 dollars - divided by the number of listed species. The structure of the FWS Endangered Species Program changed in 2015, indicated by dashed lines.

Source: FWS Budget Justification

Spending Trends

Federal Agencies Have Been Spending Less on Listed Species

So far we have focused on how much Congress has appropriated to FWS. Here, we show how much federal agencies report spending on listed species. Like appropriations, spending has declined in recent years - since 2011 for FWS, and 2012 for all other federal agencies combined. This graph shows trends in the average spending per species, and the average spending on species in the top 5% of expenditures. As you can see, spending on the top 5% is roughly 10x higher than for the average species.

Use the dropdown button to select FWS vs. Other federal expenditures.

Source: FWS Expenditure Reports

State Spending

Most Spending for ESA Activities Comes From Federal Agencies

On average, states spend 26% as much as FWS, and 4% as much as other federal agencies. This pattern has persisted over time. The amount states spend is highly relevant to current discussions about their role in implementing the ESA.

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