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As soon as a species has been formally listed as threatened or endangered, it is entitled to certain regulatory protections under the Act. One of the most important protections is the prohibiting of taking an endangered or threatened species. In the ESA taking is defined as the harassment, harming, pursuance, hunting, shooting, .
wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, or collecting, or attempt to engage in any such conduct which would harm any animal or plant listed. Another form of protection requires all federal agencies to ensure that any actions they authorize, fund or carry out are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any listed species or to change the listed species designated critical habitat. This prevents actions such as construction of roads and dams that would harm an endangered species. This also includes indirect actions such as granting of permits, leases and licenses and establishing contracts and regulations that will result in critical habitat damage.
In the Endangered Species Act, it is required that critical habitat be set up for threatened and endangered species when needed. Critical habitat is areas that are crucial to a species survival that may need protection or management. This critical habitat is set up to conserve the species and allow it to recover. The critical habitat may also include areas that are not yet inhabited by a species so that it can expand its range while increasing its population. Critical habitats are mostly designated on federal lands and lands purchased by the Federal Government but they can include private property. "Since so many environmentally destructive activities (such as mining, logging, dam building, recreational development, etc.) take place on federal lands, are at least financed, or are subject to federal regulations of one sort or another, the act is a powerful force in defense of species and ecosystems" (Ehrlich, 218).
