Mary Ann Bolton Undergraduate Research Award
Award Winner
Recipient of the 2026 Mary Ann Bolton Undergraduate Research Award - Runner-up.
To go to the Mary Ann Bolton Undergraduate Research Award page, Click here.
Year of Award
2026
Document Type
Open Access Paper
Abstract
Humans have interacted with the flora and fauna of Earth in many ways throughout our evolutionary history. Whether that be from a place of fascination, or as a resource to be exploited, humans have relied upon the millions of species that share the Earth with them. These interactions have led humans to both destroy and degrade ecosystems, but also to conserve ecosystems so that they may continue to provide their services and intrinsic value. A major shift in exploitation of wildlife began around the advent of industrialization and the acceleration of technological advancement. The ability and rate at which species could be exploited, introduced to novel areas, or exterminated entirely increased at a rapid pace. Since the 1500s, humans have caused over 500 extinctions of terrestrial species alone (Carey 2015). But as the ability to destroy has been amplified, so has the ability to utilize technology to protect species on the brink of extinction. A major way this happens is through legislation passed by nations with the intent of protecting and recovering species that are facing extinction. The Endangered Species Act (hereafter referred to as “ESA”) is a piece of legislation passed in 1973 by Congress with the aim to:
“to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved, and to provide a program for the conservation of such endangered species and threatened species.” (16 USC § 1531 (b))
Publication Date
5-2026
Award Sponsored by
Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa
Faculty Advisor
Mark Myers
Department
Department of Biology
Copyright
©2026 Matt Kerber
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Kerber, Matt, "How can the Endangered Species Act Critical Habitat Designation Process be Revised to Provide Better Protection for Listed Species Today and Under Future Range Shift Scenarios due to Climate Change?" (2026). Mary Ann Bolton Undergraduate Research Award. 9.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/awards_bolton/9
