Editorial
Keep hands off endangered-species policy

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Imagine a rule change in this country that encourages the killing of bald eagles so money raised from those hunting licenses could be used to protect endangered spotted owls.

No politician would dare try it here, but the Bush administration wants to apply exactly that logic in distant, cash-strapped lands.

The proposal is for a re-interpretation of the Endangered Species Act to allow Americans to capture, hunt and import a select list, including Asian elephants, trophy game and prized blue parrots.

The argument goes that hunting and trafficking in the animals would in turn raise money to support conservation programs to protect them and their habitat.

Since the ESA was signed into law in 1973, the United States has tried to discourage poaching and illegal traffic in endangered species by denying the industry access to a lucrative market.

After three decades of battle, there is no reason to invent a suspect incentive to look the other way. An uptick in officially sanctioned activity will predictably inspire illegal efforts to grab a share of the market.

Such behavior would not be tolerated at home, and taking it offshore does not make it any more desirable.

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company