Doctoral Dissertation: The Science of the Endangered Species Act: The Committee on Rare and Endangered Wildlife Species, 1964-1973

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While histories of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 are abundant, there is little discussion concerning the role of science in the construction of the Act and particularly the contributions of the Committee on Rare and Endangered Wildlife Species. The Committee, by virtue of the organizational structure of the US Bureau of Sports Fisheries and Wildlife, was designated as the scientific authority on endangered wildlife and used that authority to develop endangered species science that was translated into policy culminating in the Act. This project explores this understudied and critical piece of science-policy and environmental history. The Committee's central role in developing the science of the Act is demonstrated by the committee's development of the criteria for listing that shaped the endangered species lists used in the implementation of the Act. The Committee was also involved in writing draft legislation of the Act and its predecessors. This history of science project is largely intellectual, drawing on archival materials to trace the conceptual approach used by the Committee to create endangered species science and policy. However, the range of conceptual approaches open for discussion was importantly constrained by the institutional organization of the federal government at the time. This project offers a richer understanding of the historical development of an important and still highly influential piece of environmental legislation, particularly as it relates to the use of science in the development of policy. Furthermore, the current debates concerned with the role of biodiversity science in the creation of environmental policy represent a modern version of the science-policy interaction as it relates to species and extinction. The episode to be explored is a rich area of study for providing important insights concerning the ongoing interactions between science and society.