Endangered Species Act?at Risk

The Endangered Species Act (ESA)?is currently at risk under a new proposal by?the Trump Administration.??submitted by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) would repeal the current definition of “harm” currently prohibited under the ESA.?

Currently?under the ESA, agencies interpret harm to include damage to species’ habitat. But the administration is trying to change language in the rule to make it easier for developers and industry to build or extract in areas where listed endangered species live. This would loosen restrictions on industrial activities like coastal development and oil exploration that might damage an endangered animal’s habitat, even if the animal itself is not directly harmed.?

Habitat, like coral reefs, estuaries, and kelp forests, are where animals live to feed, breed and to survive. Developing or polluting habitat can kill?prey populations or destroy refuge, adding to the threat of?protected species.?In many cases, species like green sea turtles require specific beaches to nest. Great hammerhead sharks use fragile estuaries and shallow bays to gestate and pup. Loss of important habitat means no baby turtles or baby sharks, increasing the risk of extinction.

On top of other threats to the marine environment, including?stripping commercial fisheries protection in?, the change in the ESA?could reverse critical environmental safeguards and over 50 years of important species protection. Redefining harm to leave out habitat destruction could be the death knell for imperiled species across the United States and beyond, including great hammerhead sharks, green sea turtles and short tailed albatross.

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