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North American forests looked very different 300 years ago.
300年前，北美的森林里完全是另一幅景象。
And it’s not just the rise of infrastructure – it’s the purposeful decline of many natural predators.
不仅因为现在有了越来越多的基础设施，也因为人为减少了各种天敌的数量。
Before European colonists came to America,
欧洲殖民者来到美洲之前，
the gray wolf population looked something like this.
灰狼的种群分布情况大致是这样：看起来是这样的。
But by the 1930s, that vast, thriving population looked more like this.
但到了20世纪30年代，曾经那个庞大而繁荣的灰狼种群差不多已经变成了这样。
In a matter of a few decades,
短短几十年,
European settlers had trapped, poisoned, and shot the gray wolf nearly out of existence in the lower 48.
在欧洲殖民者的大肆诱捕、投毒、射杀之下，48个州的灰狼均已到了灭绝边缘。
Today, that map looks a little more like this.
今天，灰狼的种群分布图差不多又变成了这样。
“The gray wolf has been on the endangered species list since 1974
自1974年以来，灰狼一直名列濒危物种名单，
and those decades of restoration efforts have recovered the population to a few key locations,
经过几十年的回归工作，几个关键地区的灰狼数量已经有所好转，
though nowhere near where it used to be.
尽管还是大不如前。
But in 2019 the Fish and Wildlife Service filed this.
问题是，2019年，鱼类和野生动物管理局出了一份这样的文件。
It's a proposal to remove the animal from the endangered species list nationwide,
这是一项建议将这种动物移出国家濒危物种名单的提议，
arguing that the gray wolf is no longer threatened.
因为他们认为灰狼已经不存在灭绝威胁了。
A hundred scientists responded with a letter,
一百名科学家联合回信
urging the Fish and Wildlife Service to rescind the proposal, saying 'it's way too soon.'
敦促管理局撤销这项提议，称‘为时太早。’
So, when are we done protecting the gray wolf? "
那么问题来了，保护灰狼这一工作究竟何时才能告一段落？”
In 1973, President Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act.
1973年，尼克松总统签署了《濒危物种法案》。
It allows the Fish & Wildlife Service to protect certain species from extinction by limiting hunting, trapping, and killing.
这一法案赋予了鱼类和野生动物管理局可通过限制捕猎、诱捕和杀戮等措施保护某些物种免于灭绝。
When the government decides that a species is sufficiently recovered,
政府认为某物种的种群数量已经得到了充分的恢复时，
they're removed from the endangered species list or “delisted”
那些物种就会被从濒危物种名单中除名，或“摘牌”，
and they release management of the species back to the States.
政府就会把管理管重新交到各州手上。
Unsurprisingly, this is a lot more complicated than it sounds.
自然，这一工作实际上远没有听上去那么简单。
"The federal government is pretty efficient at listing species when it's the right thing to do, but delisting, that's different."
“某些物种应该被列入濒危名单时，联邦政府的办事效率是很高的，但除名就另当别论了。”
This is John Vucetich who studies wildlife ecology at Michigan Tech University.
这位是约翰·武凯奇，他在密歇根理工大学研究野生动物生态学。
"In the entire 40-plus years of the Endangered Species Act,
“《濒危物种法》实施的40多年来，
there have only been in the neighborhood of a dozen delistings.
一共就只有十几次的除名操作。
We're far less experienced at that."
所以，我们在这方面的经验非常有限。”
The Fish and Wildlife Service has tried to delist the gray wolf in certain states before,
之前，管理局就有过几次将某些州从这一名单上除名的尝试，
and was met with a bunch of lawsuits from conservationists and environmental groups.
结果被环保主义者和环保组织一次又一次告上了法庭。
The reason it's so challenging to delist an animal like the gray wolf lies in the law itself.
将灰狼这样的动物从名单上除名之所以如此困难，问题还是出在法律上面。
The easy way to understand the obligations of the Endangered Species Act
《濒危物种法》最粗暴的理解就是
is that a species is recovered and no longer requires federal protection when it's no longer at risk of extinction.
一个物种要是已经没有了灭绝风险，就表明其种群规模已经恢复，表明它们不再需要联邦政府的保护了。
So let's zoom out on that map from earlier with this in mind.
那就让我们带着这一点认识把刚才的地图缩小一下来看就是……
The gray wolf is not at risk of extinction.
灰狼已经没有了灭绝的危险。
“There have always been a whole bunch of wolves in Canada and in Russia.
“加拿大和俄罗斯也一直都有狼群。
So if we lost every single wolf in all of the United States, even Alaska, they're not at risk of extinction.”
所以，即便整个美国，包括阿拉斯加都一只灰狼也不剩了，它们也不存在灭绝的风险。”
But the thing is the Endangered Species Act is narrower than that.
但问题是，《濒危物种法案》对灭绝的定义要狭义一些。
"The legal definition of an endangered species is ‘one that is at risk of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range’.”
“我们的法律对濒危物种的定义是‘在其所有活动范围或某个重要活动范围内的种群存在灭绝风险’的物种。"
This is the phrase that has been heavily debated in court over the gray wolf.
就灰狼而言，这一表述在法庭上引发了激烈的争论。
Because while somewhere around 6,000 wolves may roam here, many more used to roam here,
因为虽然现在这些地方灰狼的数量已经达到了6000只左右，但曾经活动在这一大片区域的灰狼数量更多，
meaning the animal only exists in about 15% of its former range.”
换句话说，这种动物现在的活动范围已经只有从前的15%左右了。”
"So in order to delist the gray wolf, we have to decide if that 15% is enough."
“所以，要将灰狼从名单上除名，我们得确定15%是否足够。”
The Endangered Species Act isn't clear on how to define “range.”
《濒危物种法》对“活动范围”并没有明确的定义。
When it comes to the gray wolf, the Fish and Wildlife Service argues that the law could mean “current range.”
就灰狼而言，鱼类和野生动物管理局声称，法律指的应该是“当前的活动范围”。
They're satisfied with that 15%,
管理局对15%这一比例已经比较满意了，
especially because of how tough it would be to reintroduce the wolf to all places it used to roam.
尤其考虑到要将灰狼重新引入它曾经活动的所有地方难度会非常大。
Many sections of their former range are no longer suitable due to human encroachment.
由于人类的入侵，它们以前活动的许多地方都已经不再适合它们生存了。
And in places where wolves do coexist with people, living alongside them is challenging.
就算是它们能够与人类和平相处，与人类共存也会极具挑战性。
"I mean, wolves are happy to kill a cow or sheep if that's what it needs to do in order to live and get by,
“我是说，如果要咬死一头牛或一只羊才能活下去，才不会挨饿的话，它们是很乐意这么做的，
and of course that's tough – or can be tough – for the livestock owner."
当然，这对牲畜的主人来说就很为难了，至少这是有可能的。”
Regardless, environmentalists interpret this law differently.
尽管如此，环保人士对这项法律有着不一样的理解。
They argue that the wolves range should be interpreted historically,
他们认为应该以历史的眼光来看待狼群活动范围的问题，
and that until it's recovered in most of its historic territory,
认为在成功恢复灰狼曾经的大部分领地上的种群数量之前，
it should fall into the protections of the Endangered Species Actm.
灰狼都应该一直受《濒危物种保护法》保护。
It's this tension with the law that makes delisting hard to figure out.
正是因为法律引起的这一紧张局势，有关方面才一直很难想到合适的除名办法。
Still, wolves have been successfully removed from the endangered species list in Idaho and Montana in 2011 and in Wyoming in 2017.
不过，2011年蒙大拿州和爱达荷州，2017年怀俄明州都相继成功地将灰狼移出了濒危物种名单。
The states are now in charge of their management and making sure they retain a certain population.
现在，管理灰狼的种群数量，确保它们的种群数量维持在某个水平的工作已经回到了这些州肩上。
So in Idaho for example, it's legal to hunt wolves with a permit,
举个例子，在爱达荷州，有许可的话打猎狼就是合法的。
but the state has promised to keep the population at or over 15 packs.
但该州已经答应将狼群数量控制在15个及以上范围内。
Under Idaho's law, wolves do stay alive,
在爱达荷州的法律的作用下，灰狼确实是可以生存下来了，
but they don't have room to branch out to new or historic territories where they might thrive,
但它们没有拓展到新的领地或曾经的领地的机会，尽管在那些地方它们或许还能好好繁衍，
which is likely what will happen if they're delisted across the U.S.
而要是各地都把灰狼从濒危物种名单上除名，就有可能发生这样的事。
The current population will remain stable,
目前的灰狼种群数量会保持稳定，
but the wolves will only exist where they are right now – not where they could be or have been.
但它们只会存在于它们现在所在的地方，不会存在于它们可能生活或曾经生活的地方。
"The Endangered Species Act is pretty clear that when a species is endangered,
“《濒危物种法案》非常明确地指出了，当一个物种濒临灭绝时，
it does not matter if we can find why that species is valuable or not.
我们是否能发现该物种的价值并不重要。
The species is valuable – according to the Endangered Species Act – just because."
它就是有价值的——这是《濒危物种法案》规定的——不为别的。”
"But figuring out a balance between protecting a species and thriving alongside them is tough,
“然而，要在保护一个物种和与之共同繁荣之间找到一个平衡点是很困难的，
especially when that species is a long-hated predator."
尤其是这个物种还是一个长期以来一直被憎恨的捕食者的情况下。”
