Science and the Protection of Endangered Species

A report by Dobson et al. (p. 550) in this week's issue of Science brings together data from many sources on the distribution of endemic plants and animals in the United States and identifies three “hot spots” that contain a particularly high number of endangered species. Hawaii, California, and Florida contain concentrations of endangered organisms. In their Perspective, Pulliam and Interior Secretary Babbitt describe how these data can be profitably used in improving the fate of endangered species and making policy decisions.