Citizen scientists may beat the pros in identifying at-risk species

Citizen scientists may beat the pros in identifying at-risk species:

The Attwater's prairie chicken, one of the more charismatic species listed under the act.

Fish and Wildlife Service

The ubiquitous image of a lone polar bear lumbering across melting sheets of ice has come to represent the plight of endangered species everywhere. Surprisingly, despite the symbolic role that this species plays, citizens had to fight hard to get polar bears listed as “threatened” under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA). Although that decision was controversial, a new tally shows that citizen-driven ESA listings are just as valid as those identified by the pros.
One of the provisions of the ESA allows citizens to petition or sue the US Fish and Wildlife Service in order to get protection for a species or subspecies; the agency then conducts status reviews on the suggestions that appear to be warranted, then decide which deserve to be listed.
Critics of this controversial provision claim that most of the petitions and lawsuits are motivated by political interests, such as the intention to halt development. Detractors suggest that this stipulation of the ESA is not only unnecessary, but that it prevents money and resources from being used to protect the most vulnerable species.
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