Recent news about the undercutting of the Endangered Species Act has been met with astonishment and a feeling of helplessness by many Americans, who have lived for decades knowing the country protects its natural treasures. Reasons for the changes, said the policy-makers, are to protect economic interests, reduce our oil dependency, tighten national security and get rid of “burdensome”
Here are the basic changes:
- New “harm” interpretation: The Trump administration finalized a rule rescinding the regulatory definition of “harm,” meaning indirect habitat destruction during activities like logging or building is no longer restricted unless animals are explicitly and intentionally targeted.
- Enforcement shift: A directive to wildlife service employees mandates that killing or harming a protected plant or animal must be intentional to be considered illegal, reversing decades of holding parties liable for accidental or incidental harm.
Threatened species and habitat: The administration also eliminated blanket protections for threatened species under Section 4(d) and altered critical habitat designation processes under Section 4(b)(2) to weigh economic and national security exclusions more heavily.
The changes kind of roared up on the American public and those who want to protect wildlife, leaving many in despair. But there are actions we can take to make our voices heard and help our wildlife and our planet.
What You Can Do
- Support environmental litigation: Donate to or amplify legal organizations such as Earthjustice, which is which is suing the administration over the recent reinterpretation of the ESA.
- Engage in advocacy: Support campaigns led by conservation groups like the World Wildlife Fund or the Sierra Club that pressure lawmakers and agencies to reverse reclassifications and uphold science-based protections.
- Contact your elected officials: Urge your congressional representatives to conduct oversight on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and publicly oppose administrative rollbacks that narrow the definition of “take” and “harm” to intentional actions only.
- Participate in local conservation: Protect critical habitats at the local and state levels by engaging in regional zoning, land-use planning and state-level environmental protection initiatives that can fill gaps left by federal changes.
