Laserfiche WebLink
Although our request to authors focused on changes to the ESA, many of the <br />papers address the issue of economic incentives in a broader context of habitat <br />conservation. This approach certainly reflects a growing trend within resource <br />agencies and conservation organizations to consider all species and ecological <br />processes in a system. It also acknowledges the importance of integrating human <br />uses more sensitively to accommodate the needs of other organisms, regardless of <br />their official status. Whether to create incentives only to those individuals provid- <br />ing endangered species habitat or to those promoting biodiversity is an important <br />policy decision that should be considered during the reauthorization debate and <br />beyond. <br />We also recognize that incentive programs have limitations. To the extent some <br />species only receive attention when poised on the brink of extinction, more <br />forceful action may be necessary. And in some cases, wildlife habitats have <br />become so valuable for developmental purposes that incentives alone cannot <br />sufficiently repulse the forces of extinction. <br />Nevertheless, Defenders of Wildlife considers the use of economic incentives to <br />promote endangered species recovery an important new frontier, and we are <br />pleased to be among its trailblazers. <br />RODGER SCHLICKEISEN <br />President, Defenders of Wildlife <br />vi <br />