In other parts of the nation, developers have fought to build houses, shopping malls, and airports in regions occupied by endangered species. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt revised the federal government's approach toward protecting endangered species in 1993, when he established the National Biological Survey. This agency, renamed the National Biological Service in 1995, consists of research groups that were previously separated among divisions of the Department of the Interior. The new agency's chief function is to gather scientific data concerning the welfare of species and ecosystems in the United States. International efforts in species preservation The protection of species is not an issue only in the United States, of course.
Many nations struggle with the same environmental problems.
And, because nature does not acknowledge national boundaries, international efforts are necessary to save some species. The United States and Canada became pioneer nations in international protection of species in 1916, when they agreed to the Migratory Bird Treaty. The two nations pledged to prohibit the hunting and capture of most songbirds that migrate across their borders. The treaty also halted the hunting of waterfowl during nesting season and prohibited the sale or purchase of migratory birds and their nests, eggs, and feathers. The IUCN promotes worldwide conservation and gathers information on the endangered species of the world.