--- title: U.S. Endangered Species: The Problem With Wildlife Protection description: U.S. conservation efforts are vast but not geared to protecting rich biodiversity, a new study finds. canonical: https://time.com/3772207/wilderness-protection-endangered-species/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-06T19:00:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:01.693Z article:section: Science og:title: The Problem With U.S. Wildlife Protection Efforts og:description: U.S. conservation efforts are vast but not geared to protecting rich biodiversity, a new study finds. og:url: https://time.com/3772207/wilderness-protection-endangered-species/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37346503e792301e/698786e0524fc02438ded447/yosemite-deer-wildlife.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 7304 og:image:height: 4109 og:image:alt: Yosemite deer wildlife og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Problem With U.S. Wildlife Protection Efforts twitter:description: U.S. conservation efforts are vast but not geared to protecting rich biodiversity, a new study finds. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37346503e792301e/698786e0524fc02438ded447/yosemite-deer-wildlife.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Problem with U.S. Wildlife Protection Efforts > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=d0d4e992-4eb6-4de8-a2e6-dbcccbc752af&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Overstepping Boundaries: The Danger of Invasive Species [Watch (HLS stream): Overstepping Boundaries: The Danger of Invasive Species](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/zHyAT7e9.m3u8) (2:18)  _Published 2013-12-04. What are invasive species, and why are they dangerous? TIME's Bryan Walsh explains how animals like the Asian carp, lionfish, and Burmese python can be a threat._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Apr 6, 2015 7:00 PM UTC  Colorful trees and their reflection in water, rugged mountains, and a browsing deer in a scenic autumn landscape. Colorful trees and their reflection in water, rugged mountains, and a browsing deer in a scenic autumn landscape. Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Apr 6, 2015 7:00 PM UTC Since the Wilderness Act took effect in 1964, the United States government has protected more than 100 million acres of land for the purpose of conservation. About 8% of the continental U.S. is under protection, including natural treasures like Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. But while these efforts have preserved some of the country’s most unique scenery, other areas that may be even richer in animal and plant biodiversity aren’t being protected, finds a new [study](www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1418034112) published in the journal _Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences._ “The U.S. has protected many areas, but it has yet to protect many of the most biologically important parts of the country,” says lead study author Clinton Jenkins, a visiting professor at the Institute for Ecological Research in Brazil.  Courtesy of Clinton Jenkins, Institute for Ecological Research Jenkins and his team analyzed thousands of species of animals and trees to identify areas with the richest endemic biological diversity. Some of those regions, like the Everglades, are already protected, but many others are not. The areas most in need of protection are the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, the Sierra Nevada Mountains and mountains on the California Coast, the study concluded. “This is the most important scientific report of at least the last decade on the distribution of America’s parks and biodiversity, with implications for future policy on conservation and land use,” said study editor E.O. Wilson, Harvard University professor emeritus, in a statement. **Read More**: [Obama Moves to Protect 12 Million Acres of Alaskan Wildlife](http://time.com/3681751/white-house-arctic-refuge/) Some of these regions might have been overlooked because of conservation policy that stretches back decades, says Jenkins. Land protection in the mid-twentieth century often focused on protecting “big beautiful landscapes, strange ecosystems and odd places,” rather than unique wildlife, Jenkins says. Conservationists also often found it difficult to enact protections on lands that could easily be used for other purposes like development or agriculture, even if they were rich in biodiversity. “There’s not as much competition for using that land,” Jenkins says. Another factor in conservation policy has been the type of species facing extinction. Many conservation efforts have highlighted endangered mammals and birds while ignoring smaller and less visible reptiles and amphibians. The Southeastern U.S., for instance, is home to a wide variety of salamanders and fish, but has a lower percentage of its land protected than elsewhere in the country. Jenkins says he hopes that conservation priorities will shift to include neglected regions and species, in part due to research like his. “If the U.S. doesn’t do something, they’re at risk of disappearing,” says Jenkins. “It’s not going to happen over night, but it’s up to us to make sure these species have a place to live.” ## Transcript [00:00] One of the biggest threats to endangered species isn't [00:02] poaching, or pollution, or climate change. It's other [00:05] animals. Here's what you need to know. Just look at [00:06] the Asian [00:14] carp, invasive species that have been threatening the [00:17] US for years. The carp were imported by Midwest and [00:20] fish farmers in the 1970s, eventually escaped due to [00:23] flooding. The fish, which can grow as large as 110 [00:26] pounds, who have a habit of leaping out of the water [00:29] like silver missiles when they're threatened, are [00:31] voracious eaters. US officials were so worried that the [00:34] carp would make their way all the way up to the [00:35] Mississippi River, and into the Great Lakes' ecosystem, [00:38] that the White House named a carp czar in 2010, and [00:41] has since spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to [00:43] defend the Lakes; but those efforts may be for naught. [00:46] A new study found out last month that a number of [00:48] grass carp, a subspecies of Asian carp, seemed to [00:51] have established themselves in a river that leads [00:53] directly in to the Great Lakes, which means they could [00:55] be setting up the stage to breed for years. Then [00:59] there's the lion fish, a spine three- tipped species that [01:01] has wreaked havoc in the Atlantic since it was [01:03] accidentally introduced during Hurricane Andrew back [01:05] in 1992. Lion fish is a rapid breeder, and an [01:09] indiscriminate hunter, consuming more than 40 [01:11] species, including valuable commercial ones like the [01:13] grouper. Like many invasive species, they're especially [01:16] dangerous because native species have no innate fear [01:18] of them until too late. On land, Burmese [01:23] pythons, often released accidentally as pets by their [01:25] owners, have begun to menace the Florida everglades. [01:28] The python can grow nearly 20 feet, can take down [01:31] everything from bobcats to small alligators. In 2012, [01:35] [ unk ] the everglades from the drastic reduction in the [01:37] number of small mammals that tend to make up the [01:40] diet of the python, a sign the snakes are beginning to [01:42] have a major impact on one of the most important [01:45] ecosystems in the United States. Given the threat from [01:47] invasive species, it's unsurprising that governments [01:50] spend billions of dollars a year in trying to deal with it. [01:52] And the problem's getting worse. Part of the [ unk ] [01:55] mixing up habitats, putting animals from one part of [01:58] the world to another; while growing international trade [02:01] can ship species across the globe. The fight against [02:03] invasive species has long been a losing battle, and [02:06] [ unk ] led some scientists to say time to stop trying to [02:08] fight. After all, a species that left its home in Africa [02:12] millions of years ago has since spread to every corner [02:15] of the world. It should be a familiar one. 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