ABSTRACT
The need to strike a balance between economic development and environmental protection came into focus as a major policy issue from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. The energy crisis of the mid-1970s soon introduced a sobering note and, with world food and mineral shortages portended, to some it seemed that the pendulum of environmental concern was swinging downwards again. The role of environmental-impact assessment in supporting the strategies is likely to become increasingly important. In June 1976 the Council on Environmental Quality sponsored a Symposium on Biological Evaluation of Environmental Impact. Habitat destruction has been widely recognized as the dominant threat to the future of the nation's fish and wildlife resources. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, as principal federal steward of the nation's fish and wildlife resources, has moved to strengthen and extend its long-standing involvement in environmental issues.
