Jewish Perspectives on Creatures
Jewish Council on Public Affairs Statement on Protecting Endangered Species

Strengthening Protections for Endangered Species and Habitats

Torah does not permit a killing that would uproot a species, even if it permitted the killing [of individuals] in that species. Nachmanides, Commentary on Deuteronomy 22:6.

Background

In 1996, the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council (NJCRAC [now the Jewish Council on Public Affairs]) took action in response to the rapid destruction of habitats and species around the world, advocating that federal, state, and local governments develop, strengthen, and fully implement laws, policies, and programs that will protect and restore the biological inheritance of the human community both in the United States and abroad. In October of 1996, the World Conservation Union released the most comprehensive survey of threatened species around the world, estimating that 25 percent of mammals, 20 percent of reptiles, 25 percent of amphibians, and 34 percent of fish are threatened with extinction.

The story of Noah inspires a celebration of animals and a deeper sense of responsibility at a Colorado synagogue.

NJCRAC's advocacy to protect biological diversity has focused on strengthening the Endangered Species Act, the nation's most important vehicle for the protection of biological diversity.

The Act encodes into law a moral principle shared by the Jewish tradition and the vast majority of Americans alike: It is wrong for human beings to knowingly cause the extinction of a unique form of life. The Act sets a mandate for the federal government to take actions necessary to prevent extinction, including the protection of habitat that is critical to the survival and recovery of an endangered species.

While the Endangered Species Act has succeeded in preventing the extinction of numerous animals, such as the bald eagle, American alligator, and peregrine falcon, the majority of listed species are far from recovering to stable and viable populations. Less than two percent of species listed as endangered have improved sufficiently to be downlisted to threatened status and less than one half of one percent have recovered sufficiently to be fully delisted.

Sharp disagreements over the Endangered Species Act in the last two sessions of Congress prevented its reauthorization, which has been due since 1992. Unfortunately, the 104th Congress took action to hamper the implementation of the law, including a year-long moratorium on new listings of endangered species, temporary suspension of the Endangered Species Act in National Forests, and reduced funding for government agencies responsible for implementing the Act.