The Worth of Protecting Wildlife: How the Endangered Species Act Helps Fuel the Economy

With the delays in funding the federal government, many unknowns remain concerning the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as it continues to face potential changes that could lead to devastating outcomes for the animals and habitats it has aimed to protect for the last 50 years.

Since its enactment in the U.S. in 1973, the ESA has become one of the most effective environmental laws. With a 99% success rate, it has saved numerous animal and plant species that would have otherwise disappeared from the planet forever, including bald eagles, manatees, sea turtles, and many more.

What Would the Proposed Changes to the ESA Do?

The key proposed changes include eliminating habitat protections for vulnerable species (despite habitat destruction being the number one cause of animal population decline in the country); making it easier to build, log, and mine on lands that endangered species rely on for survival; removing automatic prohibitions on the harming, killing, or import/export of threatened species that are listed in the future; and decreasing science-based decision-making for species listing.

Protecting Wild Animals and Their Habitats Benefits Local Economies

Although the proponents of these changes claim that the resources gained from harvesting previously protected lands for human use and allowing increased hunting activity on already vulnerable animals would have economic benefits, the income losses that local communities would experience would likely outweigh any gains.

For example, Yellowstone National Park makes a significant amount of money every year from tourism; a 2024 National Park Service report stated that tourism to Yellowstone had a cumulative economic impact of $828 million on the local economy in one year. Overall, the report found that 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in communities near national parks. This spending supported 415,400 jobs, provided $19.4 billion in labor income, and $55.6 billion in economic output to the U.S. economy.

Further, wildlife viewing is a major reason visitors visit national parks; a 2025 study found that wildlife tourism plays a major role in the local economy, with an estimated net economic value of $753 million per year for Yellowstone and Grand Teton combined. About 77% of participants in this study stated that viewing wildlife was the primary reason for their national park trip. Large carnivores, particularly grizzly bears, were especially important to many groups of wildlife viewers, who were willing to pay almost 50% more to visit parks to see these animals — an increase of over 236% from 2006. A study from 2021 found that wolf tourism alone pumped at least $82.7 million into gateway communities like Gardiner, Montana.  Without the animals, these figures would simply fail to reach such astronomical totals.

ESA Protections Enable this Vast Wildlife Tourist Industry

Bottom line, millions of people would have never witnessed the majesty and wonder of these species in the wild if it hadn’t been for the ESA. According to Earth Justice, despite the increasingly polarizing political climate in the U.S., more than four out five Americans support the ESA and consider biodiversity to be a priority for future policy.

We need the ESA to continue protecting species and lands now more than ever; scientists have projected that habitat destruction caused by human activities could lead to the extinction of more than one million species over the next few decades if we do not act now.

Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Devan

Take Action for Wildlife!

Please join us in advocating against the recent changes proposed to the ESA, because without its protections, it will cease to exist as a meaningful conservation law; just like the animals and lands that will disappear without it.

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