多选题 The 1973 Endangered Species Act made into legal policy the concept that endangered species of wildlife are precious as part of a natural ecosystem. The nearly unanimous passage of this act in the United States Congress, reflecting the rising national popularity of environmentalism, masked a bitter debate. Affected industries clung to the former wildlife policy of valuing individual species according to their economic usefulness. They fought to minimize the law's impact by limiting definitions of key terms, but they lost on nearly every issue. The act defined "wildlife" as almost all kinds of animals--from large mammals to invertebrates and plants. "Taking" wildlife was defined broadly as any action that threatened an endangered species; {{U}}areas vital to a species' survival could be federally protected as "critical habitats".{{/U}} Though these definitions legislated strong environmentalist goals, political compromises made in the enforcement of the act were to determine just what economic interests would be set aside for the sake of ecological stabilization.
According to the passage, which of the following does the Endangered Species Act define as a "critical habitat"?

• A. A natural ecosystem that is threatened by imminent development.
• B. An industrial or urban area in which wildlife species have almost ceased to live among humans.
• C. A natural area that is crucial to the survival of a species and thus eligible for federal protection.
• D. A wilderness area in which the "taking" of wildlife species is permitted rarely and only under strict federal regulation.
• E. A natural environment that is protected under law because its wildlife has a high economic value.