If you have been following recent news cycles, you may have noticed that there is an effort underway to weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA). You might also wonder why efforts to reduce environmental protections under the ESA should matter to you. As scientists and conservationists at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, our role is to conserve the diversity of life (biodiversity) - which in many ways boils down to saving the plants that are native to an area, the communities they form, and the habitat that those communities provide to bugs, lizards, birds and other organisms, including humans.
