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One of the earliest pieces of international legislation on wildlife conservation was the Migratory Bird Treaty signed by the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Mexico, in 1916. Legislation covers such vast areas such as listing species, protecting them from trade, hunting, and controlling habitat destruction.

In the United States, information on different species is collected and accordingly, they are put on the endangered list. This is done by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Once a species is put on the endangered list, it is protected by law, and any activity that affects its biological welfare has meet approval with the FWS. The FWS is also responsible for instituting restoration programs.

Apart from the U.S., international lists on endangered species are also compiled by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) and the Secretariat of CITES.

Within the U.S., Acts and laws have been passed from the early 1900s onwards. During 1966 to 1973, a series of acts, Endangered Species Preservation Act, Endangered Species Conservation Act and the Endangered Species Act, were passed. These acts have had far-reaching effects on the state of wildlife conservation in the US. Importing endangered species and exotic products became illegal. Hunting and poaching these creatures was prohibited within the country.

Apart from the Endangered Species Act in 1973, a international treaty was also signed known as CITES- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, by 51 nations. Emphasis was placed on wild species trade and proposals were made to curb such trade.

In many parts of the US, limits are placed on hunting and trapping game animals. However, this measure has been more successful in North America than the less-developed countries. In the latter countries, most of the hunting is done for sustenance by rural people. Often these areas are so remote that applying laws and limits just does not seem practical.

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Species Restoration

Another popular method of conserving wildlife has been protecting endangered species and then releasing them into the wild. The FWS in the U.S. is responsible for recovery programs of such kind. Sometimes, these programs involve restoring these species to a sustainable level in captivity. However, releasing them back into the wild requires a lot of courage and preparation, which is why the FWS consists of a large body of scientists, ecologists and trainers.

Breeding species in captivity is done to protect them from the problems in their natural environment, whether it be pollution, overhunting, or anything else. A famous example of such restoration was performed the California condors who were bred in captivity and whose numbers quite successfully increased. The endangered whooping crane in N. America is another example of this sort of restoration.

A more recent kind of restoration is the restoration of endangered habitats. These habitats, which are in danger of destruction, are being reclaimed and being reconstructed to their former glory. Although the method is quite costly, the efforts have been more than paid by the establishment of national wildlife refuges.

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Wildlife Havens

Wildlife havens come in different kinds: national parks, sanctuaries, preserves, avaries. Some havens are specialized by governments especially for protecting endangered species like nature reserves. Yet they all serve a common purpose: providing a habitat for endangered and threatened species. Most havens are publicly owned and government-funded. Such incentives serve a double purpose: promote wildlife conservation and create much-needed employment. They also serve as a big source of revenue. Perhaps, these advantages have this become one of the most successful wildlife conservation techniques.

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