Protecting wildlife has been an increasingly popularized part of the public consciousness since at least the 1960s.

Jane Goodall, the famous primatologist, helped show the secret lives of chimpanzees in Tanzania in the 1960s. Dr. Dian Fossey began her work with gorillas in Rwanda in the mid-1960s, leading to the publishing of her groundbreaking 1983 book Gorillas in the Mist, arguably one of the most important books written about the natural world. Fossey was murdered in 1985 because she campaigned against local gorilla poachers in Rwanda.

And, of course, David Attenborough, who started his career as an environmentalist in 1954, still uses his calming and authoritative voice to show us creatures whose environments are threatened by our warming world, from the elusive Greenland shark, which is believed to live as long as 500 years, to the Arctic Woolly Bear Caterpillar, which spends 90% of its 14-year lifespan completely frozen before becoming a moth.

Along with the creation of the World Wildlife Federation in 1961, this early preservation era became a springboard for wider public knowledge and the beginning of a new generation of environmental activism. For many, it was the first real insight into the increasingly problematic relationship between humans, wildlife, and the planet we share. And that was long before we knew the full extent of the damage being caused by fossil fuels.

It heightened public environmental awareness and mobilized people, organizations, and governments to make changes or face losing important species forever.

During that time, the United States faced losing many of its most iconic and well-known animals. But what could be done?

Fortunately, President Theodore Roosevelt had already started bringing the overhunted American buffalo back from the brink of extinction in the late 19th and early 20th century, proving what was possible. He authorized the United States Forestry Service, five national parks, and created federal protections across 360,000 square miles (230 million acres).

The Endangered Species Act was eventually passed in 1973, and even though President Donald Trump attempted to remove many of its protections, it has survived.

On World Wildlife Conservation Day, what has been achieved over the last half-century of environmental protection?

50 Years Later

“It has been very successful in recovering and restoring species,” said Timothy Preso, the managing attorney for the biodiversity defense program with Earthjustice, a San Francisco-based public interest organization dedicated to litigating environmental issues. “And some of the celebrated successes are real iconic species like the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, American alligator, the gray wolf, and the grizzly bear. All have seen huge turnarounds under the protection of the Endangered Species Act.”

Add manatees, sea otters, humpback whales and the California condor to that list, along with creatures you may have never heard of, like the Dixie Valley Toads that only live in the hot-spring-fed wetlands in one valley in northwest Nevada or the Alabama sturgeon, pushed to extinction by the construction of dams that prevented them going upriver to reproduce. It hasn’t been seen in 12 years, but DNA found in the water suggests the species has not gone extinct.

The act mandates the conservation of endangered and threatened species and their habitats, prohibits their harm or trade, and outlines procedures for listing species and designating critical habitats for survival and recovery.

But as climate science has progressed, wildlife’s problems are no longer just hunting or sprawling cities and towns eating into precious habitats. The damage isn’t always tangible. Slight temperature variations may not physically mean much to humans but can wipe out entire species if not managed correctly.

For example, climate change and increasing winter tick infestations threaten northern U.S. and Canadian moose, pushing them farther north, according to U.S. government reports. Warmer winters boost tick populations, overwhelming moose, particularly calves, often leading to death. Small temperature increases affect sea turtles, snowshoe hares, salmon, Alaskan caribou, and polar bears, among many others.

What does the next 50 years look like?

The next half-century of wildlife preservation isn’t easy to predict. We understand climate science more, but the obstacles and our growing populations seem more significant than ever, which means more cars, infrastructure, homes, schools and the use of fossil fuels.

“The path to recovery is getting harder and harder because of climate change,” said Preso.

While the Environmental Protection Act is safe for now, there are growing voices of dissent regarding climate change and environmental protections. There’s also far more significant political pushback against climate change, with Congress packed full of climate deniers and skeptics, including the man second in line to the presidency.

However, Preso said he’s still hopeful about the evolving activism of today and the future.

“There’s a youthful energy around protecting wildlife,” he added. “We are seeing rising visitation to our national parks and public lands, and a lot more people from different backgrounds and ethnicities now have some role models as well to get out into nature and explore. And I think that is helpful so we don’t live in this siloed world in which only certain people feel like nature is for them.”

Preso mentioned Christian Cooper, the Harvard-educated Black birdwatcher who had the cops called on him by a white woman in May 2020. Since then, Cooper has become the host of National Geographic’s Extraordinary Birder TV show, where Cooper introduces new audiences to birds and bird conservation.

“It’s not going to change overnight, but voices like his are vital to getting the message to as many people as we can,” he added. “I’m hopeful that will be an important development in our relationship with nature and other species.”