The Endangered Species Act protects species identified as endangered or threatened with extinction and attempts to protect the habitat on which they depend. Unfortunately out of a total of 1,263 species listed in the United States, only 31 species, less than 3 percent, have been removed from the list since the Endangered Species Act was first created in 1973. Of those 31 species taken off the list only 12 were removed because they were actually recovered. I believe this is a result of poor regulatory restrictions and laws that discourage landowners from maintaining endangered species habitat. These incentives tend to treat wildlife as a liability, not as an asset. As long as it is bad for landowners, the Endangered Species Act will remain bad for wildlife.