What does the Endangered Species Act aim to protect?

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was established to protect both threatened and endangered species of plants and animals, as well as their habitats. This law is a key domestic conservation tool in the United States, aiming to prevent extinction by promoting recovery efforts. It recognizes that species can be designated as either endangered (at immediate risk of extinction) or threatened (likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future), and it provides the necessary framework for their protection.

By focusing on both plant and animal species that are at risk, the ESA encompasses a comprehensive approach to biodiversity conservation. This is crucial because healthy ecosystems depend on a variety of species, and protecting them benefits the overall environment. Other options, such as limiting the act's focus to only plants or animals or restricting its protections to pesticide-related issues, do not accurately represent the full scope of the ESA's goals and effects. Thus, the choice that correctly identifies the broader mission of the Act is centered around the protection of threatened plant and animal species.