Listed: Dispatches from America’s Endangered Species Act

by Joe Roman

The first listed species to make headlines after the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973 was the snail darter, a three-inch fish that stood in the way of a massive dam on the Little Tennessee River. When the Supreme Court sided with the darter, Congress changed the rules. The dam was built, the river stopped flowing, and the snail darter went extinct on the Little Tennessee, though it survived in other waterways. A young Al Gore voted for the dam; freshman congressman Newt Gingrich voted for the fish.

A lot has changed since the 1970s, and Joe Roman helps us understand why we should all be happy that this sweeping law is alive and well today. More than a general history of endangered species protection, Listed is a tale of threatened species in the wild―from the whooping crane and North Atlantic right whale to the purple bankclimber, a freshwater mussel tangled up in a water war with Atlanta―and the people working to save them.

Employing methods from the new field of ecological economics, Roman challenges the widely held belief that protecting biodiversity is too costly. And with engaging directness, he explains how preserving biodiversity can help economies and communities thrive. Above all, he shows why the extinction of species matters to us personally―to our health and safety, our prosperity, and our joy in nature.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Environment, Conservation, History

368 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

Joe Roman is a conservation biologist and author at the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont. His research, focusing on endangered species conservation and marine ecology, has appeared in Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, and many other journals. Joe has received a Hrdy Fellowship at Harvard University, a McCurdy Fellowship at the Duke University Marine Lab, a Fulbright-NSF Arctic Research Scholarship at the University of Iceland, a Bellagio Residency, a Fulbright Fellowship in Brazil, and a Science and Technology Policy Fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, among other awards. He was a Radcliffe fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute from 2022 to 2023.

Roman has presented his work in the U.S. Congress, South by Southwest, and universities around the world. Coverage of his research has appeared in the New York Times, New Yorker, Washington Post, Atlantic, NPR, BBC, and many other outlets.

Joe Roman is editor ’n’ chef of eattheinvaders.org, a website dedicated to fighting invasive species one bite at a time. He is the author of Eat, Poop, Die: How Animals Make Our World; Listed: Dispatches from America’s Endangered Species Act, winner of the Rachel Carson Environment Book Award; and Whale. He has written for Audubon, New Scientist, New York Times, Slate, and other publications.

He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2003 in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and his Master’s degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida. He has worked along the coasts of Alaska, Hawaii, New England, the Canadian Maritimes, Brazil, Cuba, and Iceland. Born and raised in New York, Joe considers King Kong as an early conservation influence.

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not paying attention when Silent Spring was published. Granted, I wouldn't be born for another 20 years, so I'll cut myself some slack. It took a college course in environmental literature to get me to realize the importance of reading A Sand County Almanac and Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness. I was almost the last person I know to read The World Without Us and 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. I narrowly avoided missing Last Chance to See altogether, and almost missed the forest for the trees in My First Summer in the Sierra and Biophilia. I still haven't managed to read Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed: Revised Edition or Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder all the way through. So I'm not always (or even usually) among the first to find the next big environmentalism book.

But this time I am. You need to read this book. It is not an overstatement to say that everyone needs read this book. Read it now, so you can avoid all your friends nagging you to read it later, or, worse, having to admit that you haven't read it. Read it now because it's a vital look at one of the most important pieces of legislation in American history. Read it because it's chock full of numbers, statistics, and arguments that will come in handy at some point, if you're the type of person who finds yourself defending species conservation at cocktail parties or around campfires. And read it now because it is a stunningly well-written, captivatingly told, and stunningly researched book. Because it's darn fun to read.

Roman begins the book with a very lucid, simple, and well-told history of the Endangered Species Act. He talks about laws that were precursor to the act, and the conditions that led to it. He does this in a way that even people, like me, who don't think policy reading counts as leisure reading, can't wait to get home from work to read it. He does it simply, and only allows some purple prose to creep in at the edges. He is unabashedly patriotic, and darn proud of America's accomplishments in conservation. This is extremely refreshing in a conservation book, and a hint of the irrepressible optimism that would follow in the rest of the book.

Roman follows the Endangered Species Act as it has affected a group of celebrity species: spotted owls, red-cockaded woodpeckers, snail darters, frogs, whales, cranes, black-footed ferrets, wolves, cougars, polar bears, and bats. But he also takes a look at the less charismatic species, that sometimes have even more interesting stories: the bivalves, snails, rodents, amphibians, plant, bacteria, and fungal species that are also of critical importance to environments. He tells each species' story in a way that is unique, engaging, and feels like a woven tapestry of story; not like a laundry list of species. He writes with a deft delicacy that sketches, rather than hammers out, each subject. He acknowledges the pathos, but knows when a hint of humor is called for. Roman is a consummate storyteller. The story of each species is as gripping as the trashy thriller you buy at the airport terminal.

He explores the implications of species-specific conservation for biodiversity and the implications for human society of the losing biodiversity. He calculates ecosystem services conferred by health, biodiverse ecosystems including clean air, protected coastlines, fewer (and less virulent) new zoonotic diseases, improved mental and emotional health, and pest control, among many others. He presents the cost/benefit analysis of species preservation, comparing money made in the tourist, whale-watching, bird-watching, hunting, fishing, and hiking trades to money made from logging, fishing, and damming.

Roman is not a Pollyanna. He chronicles habitat loss, climate change, poaching, chytrid, pollution, and white-nose syndrome with clear eyes. He knows the risks, and he's clear about what's at stake: the whole planet and future of humanity. He also has some ideas on how to, literally, save the world, and (unlike some environmental authors I could name) lists them baldy, boldly, and clearly. The book is grim at points, but it leaves the reader with a sense of empowered hope, rather than embattled despair. Roman really believes we can save the world. I think, with this book, he's helping save it in a very real way. This is a book to keep you awake long into the night.

This book is so many things all in one compact, attractive bundle: planet-saving manual, elegy for dying species, battle cry for conservationists, public service announcement on the benefits of biodiversity, morality tale, and a promise of hope. This review makes it sound disjointed. It's not. It's brilliant. This is a book I've been waiting for, and I am so grateful to Roman for writing it. It's a rare pleasure to read a book for the first time and know you've just met one of your favorite books, one that will become an old friend. I can think of so many people I'd like to give this book to that I might as well go ahead and order a carton of copies. I can't think of higher praise than that.

[Cari Ritzenthaler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting, and kind of depressing, book. Unfortunately, I found it hard to follow at points and some chapters felt like they lost their connection to the Endangered Species Act entirely.

[Gemini · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much going on in this book. Obviously, there are so many species to discuss & the author can't speak to all of them. I was astounded to read about what it takes for animals to be included on the endangered species list. It is simply a horrifying process; it's so much work for researchers & advocates to be able to get done. Holy moly. The amount of species that disappear is also astonishing & actually sad. The animals need so much help & yet various government agencies make it so damn hard to actually help the animals. Why are so many of these depts against helping so many species live on? So it is super insightful, there are parts of the book where they speak to how things were managed for some of the species to survive. Yes, definitely a book to read where you will learn things.

[Huma Daha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a narrative of the path, struggles, and milestones achieved by the advocates of the America's Endangered Species Act’s (AESA) and then its outcomes. It is more of a biography of the AESA, its origins, processes, implementation, and the rejoices. Along with a focus on AESA, the author also enchants the reader with his discursive skill of shifting between past and present: the origin of evolution, geological shifts, story of different species, extinction, and then AESA. This book is story of struggle and survival of the species.

[avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

(For class). Really just sad.

[Lisa Jo Frech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This kind of information is critical to saving what we have left. Will we act in time?

[Allison Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe Roman’s Listed: Dispatches from America’s Endangered Species Act, delves into the history and development of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as well as its successes and fall backs. Roman intricately weaves aspects of earth system science, economics, politics, and conservation to explain his ideas, making for a well rounded, compelling, and supported argument for how the endangered species act could be improved to protect endangered species with today’s rapid rates of global climate change.

Roman’s primary argument is that the ESA, initially passed in 1973, needs to be rethought in order to protect endangered species at the level needed to match rates of climate change, and ultimately that the ESA alone is not sufficient enough to combat species extinctions. Roman not only delves into the history and effectiveness of the ESA, but he also considers the connections between humans and other species, and how biodiversity is entwined with the survival and wellness of people.

The book aims to highlight successes of the ESA, such as the revival of the red-cockaded woodpecker in North Carolina, and the success stories of the revival of bald eagle and white tailed deer populations. He makes a further argument later in the book that the ESA is the first and only act to give nature, in all its forms, the right to exist (Roman 62), and furthermore that it was the first act that put nature before people. Overall, he appears to be very proud of the ESA and all its accomplishments, but also showcases its negative implications. Roman extensively discusses issues the ESA presents, such as imposing on property rights and causing property owners to destroy habitats of endangered species. Political involvement and power imbalances in the listing of species under the ESA is acknowledged and he discusses how many species are postponed in listing due to political involvement.

Personally, I found this to be a very well argued and thought out book. Roman takes multiple perspectives and disciplines to explain his arguments, while also supporting them with statistics and facts. All of his arguments are grounded in science, and he explores the intersections of economics and politics when explaining the effectiveness and limitations of the ESA. The first part of the book is a thorough explanation of the history of the ESA and its development, and for someone who is well versed in the ESA those chapters can seem repetitive, but it provides a solid base for Roman to develop his thoughts.

The contents of the book can seem harrowing, especially in the way that Roman presents statistics about species extinctions and the power imbalances among Congress and the US Fish and Wildlife Service in listing threatened species under the ESA. He fully recognizes the inactions of people in protecting endangered species and the various ways in which people have destroyed species populations. He even recognizes that we are potentially at a point where species extinctions cannot be reversed unless a change in our interactions with nature occurs. While these facts and arguments are unsettling they are instrumental to promoting a sense or urgency and making the reader aware of the severity of species extinctions.

For a seemingly hopeless topic Roman is able to end the book on a positive note by giving the reader ideas for how species extinctions could reach a zero extinction rate. Some of these ideas include increasing biodiversity, increasing diversity within human landscapes, and implementing preventative conservation measures. Essentially, Roman argues that the path to zero extinction rates will require a fundamental reexamination of human lives and values. He does not discuss the percentage rates of how successful these changes would be in combatting species extinctions, or the extent to how much would need to be altered. This leaves the reader with many questions but appears to be intentional in encouraging readers to take their own individual action.

Overall, I found this book to be an incredible read. Roman is extremely thorough and presents compelling arguments woven with unsettling statistics and stories that make the book difficult to put down. I would encourage anyone interested in the political side of conservation, species extinctions, or the overall effectiveness of the ESA to read this book. Roman strategically presents both the positive and negative implications of the ESA, as well as human impacts on species extinctions, making for facts and arguments that do not leave the reader completely discouraged, yet will compel them to rethink their own lives and values and remember the author's arguments for a very long time.

[Chris]

Try wrapping your political head around this one:
It's 1973. The nation is in a severe recession. Inflation and unemployment both are rising high. Gas prices are through the roof. And yet a bill that would deliberately constrain economic growth to protect rare animals and plants sails through Congress and is signed into law by a Republican President, Richard Nixon.

As Joe Roman says, the passage of the Endangered Species Act is "a feat just about unimaginable 40 years on."

Roman's new book, Listed, chronicles this four-decade history from his view as a conservation biologist. He travels to the frontlines of controversial protection efforts such as the re-introduction of grey wolves in the Rockies. He brings to life some of the high-profile animals that are listed for special protection and the people trying to save them.

Some of the rescue attempts stretch the imagination. To re-populate the few remaining whooping cranes, federal biologists recruited sandhill cranes to incubate the eggs. They wore crane costumes to retain the birds' fear of humans. Volunteers piloted ultralight planes and played whooping calls to guide those born in captivity to their wintering grounds.

Roman rises above the crowd of endangered species commentators in at least two ways.

First, he masters the difficult balance of detailing the science while staying conversational. He's not alarmist in a sea full of alarm. He shares the rare chuckle in the gloom of extinction. Europeans, he notes, initially balked at the naming of the International Union for Conservation of Nature because they associated the word "conservation" with making jams.

Roman also excels at busting some of the popular myths about the Endangered Species Act as a job killer and trampler of private property rights. Spotted owls didn't throw the lumberjacks out of work. The timber industry itself did by overcutting the remaining old-growth stands in the Pacific Northwest.

In truth, the law has become more flexible over time. Developers in many cases can plow over plants and trees important to vanishing species if they enter into a plan to reduce or offset the impacts.

Roman argues persuasively that the government protection has worked overall and can be a win for both species and local economies. But his chapters on the medicinal and ecological values of plants and animals run too long for a book about the Endangered Species Act as a whole. The 15 pages on the merits of whale poop should have been the first up on the editor's chopping block.

Those with only a casual interest in biology and conservation may not want to take the plunge into Listed. But the book will more than satisfy others looking to deepen their knowledge and understanding of this much misunderstood law.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not easy to write a book about the Endangered Species Act... or at least one that people can read without becoming wholly discouraged and depressed. I think Roman does an admirable job striking a balance between highlighting the successes of the Act and the legal power it brings to conservation with the reality of the challenges and limitations. There's a feel-good chapter about reintroducing gray wolves to Yellowstone, which at the time of reading made me think "This is presenting a rosy, perhaps unrealistic outlook." But it was immediately followed by a disheartening chapter on never-ending court litigation and how the ESA lacks the power to help protect the polar bear's melting habitat (that's a climate change issue... too large scale). Shifting between strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures, makes it a far more readable book. That was a problem with "Born to be Wild," which was all about the struggles with captive breeding programs, largely because the wild populations discussed were all in such desperate states. The examples in "Listed" do tend to focus on the famous headliners such as the snail darter, red-cockaded woodpecker and Florida panther, but Roman at least tosses in some lesser-known species and acknowledges the bias toward cute and fluffy that exists both in his book and the endangered species list (particularly the funded ones). He makes some interesting tangents, such as discussing emerging zoonotic diseases, investigating the actual sources of medical bioprospecting, and nutrient cycling via whale poop. There is a major underlying message that protecting habitat is really the key to maintaining biodiversity, but we rely on endangered species to get the public's attention and make the legal claim, because the ESA is about the best legislative teeth we have for getting habitat protected at all.

[Autumn Rooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listed, by Joe Roman, is a book that dives into the problems and battles with the endangered species act, and fights for the saving of endangered plants and animals. “The Endangered Species Act is under attack” and we need to keep our animals alive (Roman 3). Roman addresses how species are being protected and how that affects humans and the government; the endangered species act “gave nature, in all forms, a right to exist” (62). He also discusses the ecosystem of animals and their environment, and what needs to be changed in order for them to survive. Making sure there is diversity in ecosystems is extremely important for species to survive, and Roman wants to see “if biodiversity protection worked” (4). I found Listed to be highly informative, well-written, and interesting, however I felt he jumped from topic to topic very quickly and didn't give enough time to focus in on just one thing for long enough. Nature lovers would appreciate Listed, but also become saddened by all the harsh truths within this book. It surely opened my mind to how complicated it is to preserve animals and wildlife because of human destruction.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the summarized history of the Endangered Species Act and its evolution to present time. I was actually surprised at how much it has changed, how often it has been tweaked to allow just enough leeway. It's fascinating to see that it has become, in many ways, much more effective since it has become more lenient. The book jumps around in some odd ways, but it hits on a lot of the major conservation efforts within the United States. Those familiar with ESA history will have to plow through the extensive coverage of the TVA vs. snail darter story, but there was some cool new stuff I had not encountered before (such as discussion of how essential carnivores are to transport of nutrients -- the "whale pump" was new to me and the far-reaching effects of their removal), and it reflects the conservation of habitats rather than individual species. I'd say this is an essential read for anyone in the wildlife or conservation field and provides an excellent snapshot of the current status of species conservation in the United States.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kudos to Joe Roman for writing not just about "charismatic megafauna," other than chapters on the Florida panther, wolves in Yellowstone and the (very likely extinct for decades) ivory-billed woodpecker.

Other than that, it's about mussels, frogs, salamanders, and things that don't even get considered for the ESA, like extremeophilic bacteria. This is a great, great book of essays.

And, it's about more than species, it's about ecosystems. As any good environmentalist knows, species can't be protected very well without maintenance of adequate habitats. Roman weaves the two sides of the story together in discussing Lyme disease and its possible vector(s), what animals are involved in that vector and more.

For nature lovers at times frustrated by government foot dragging on species listing and other things, this book can be a shot in the arm.

[Kelly Buchanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting look at a complex piece of legislation. Roman's book presents the facts but also the heart on this multi-faceted issue. This work is richer than a purely legalistic or scientific study. We get the epic court battles but also the personal devotion of scientists in the field. Not exactly a fast read, but I felt the worth of this step out of my comfort zone. Check out my full review at www.compassionateu.org.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listed: Dispatches from America's Endangered Species Act by Joe Roman (Harvard University Press 2011) (333.9522) places the Act in historical perspective beginning with the snail darter holding up the TVA dam on the Little Tennessee River and the ultimate Supreme Court ruling that allowed the dam to be completed. The book covers freshwater mussels in Alabama, wolves in the West, and the demise of the Ivory-Billed woodpecker. My rating: 6/10, finished 12/19/11.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It provided an interesting look at a number of species that are or have been on the Endangered Species List. I found it shocking how much people fight having animals listed as endangered. I couldn't believe the number of cases where it is landowner/government/etc against the people trying to protect these animals.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Although books about science and political issues can be very dry, this book was not only very informative but entertaining as well. I borrowed it from the library, but I just might add it to my personal collection of animal-related books.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joe Roman has put together a thoughtful collection of Essays which hope to explain the details of this ESA as well as how congress and lobbyists have worked around the act. Which has lead to demise of many species.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly informative yet personal.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing was too jumpy and hard to follow. The content was interesting, I just don't think it was presented well or in a very coherent way.