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Texas Oil Refinery

 

 

Federal Laws That Protect Bird Species 

Endangered and migratory bird species are protected primarily by two federal laws: the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Congress passed both laws in response to the massive human destruction of species and their habitats. Their general objective is to preserve species for future human use, whether economic, scientific, recreational, or ecological.

Click here for a more detailed explanation of each law.

Humans: The Number One Threat to Birds 

Concern over the declining populations of certain bird species has generated heated debate about what are the most effective steps toward preserving and restoring those populations. Too often this discussion becomes mired in a simplistic cat-versus-bird argument. Focusing on the perceived struggle between cats and birds diverts attention from the real cause of declining bird populations: the enormous impact of the human species on birds and their habitats. 

Considering the vast scale of human destruction of bird habitat, arguing about “cats-versus-birds” trivializes the critical issues facing bird populations today.

The major cause of bird species loss—indeed, all species loss—is habitat destruction. Habitat modification, fragmentation, and loss is caused by a myriad of human activities, including logging, crop farming, livestock grazing, mining, industrial and residential development, urban sprawl, road building, dam building, and pesticide use. 

Read more here.

 

Click here to learn more about the Galveston birder who faces a cruelty charge for killing a cat.

 

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Galveston Skyline

FAST FACTS
About Habitat Destruction and Pollution

  • In Texas in 2000, more than 33 million pounds of toxic discharge were released into surface waters, and 43 million pounds were released into public sewage. Texas is third in the nation for amount of toxic waste released into waterways. Fifty-six percent of Texas’ major facilities were in “significant non-compliance” with the EPA’s clean water regulations in 2000, making Texas second in the nation for percentage of major facilities in significant non-compliance. (Source: Clean Water Network. Click here to find out more.)
  • Beach pollution is a problem in every coastal state; in 2006, pollution resulted in over 25 thousand days of beach closings and warnings at ocean, bay, and Great Lakes beaches—even given that many beaches aren’t regularly tested, and many are re-tested before warnings are issued. While people can be kept off polluted beaches, wildlife cannot; pollution negatively affects the wildlife who inhabit them. (Source: Natural Resources Defense Council. Click here to find out more.)
  • The amount of U.S. land lost to development more than doubled in the three decades between 1960 and 1990, despite the fact that the population increased by less than 50 percent. Every year, developers bulldoze an additional 3.2 million acres of land, or 356 acres per hour. (Source: Natural Resources Defense Council. Click here to find out more.)
  • The U.S. national forests are intersected by over 430 thousand miles of roads—more than 8 times the mileage of the Interstate Highway System. These roads cause soil erosion, water sedimentation, and mudslides, and fragment and destroy wildlife habitat. (Source: Natural Resources Defense Council. Click here to find out more.)

 

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