The Endangered Species Act itself is currently under threat, as a result of predation by lobbyists, conservatives in Congress and President Donald Trump
Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service announced proposed revisions that would change the way the agencies implement the Endangered Species Act – actions that could lead to the destruction of essential habitat and otherwise preventable species extinctions. And President Trump's allies in Congress are preparing their own additional attacks on the law, pushing bills in both the House and the Senate that would demolish the scientific foundations of the law.
These potential changes would roll back critical habitat regulations and listing protections for wildlife designated as threatened and diminish the role of climate change in determining protection. The proposed changes would also take economic concerns into consideration during the listing process.
This sends a loud message to the public that economic considerations will prevail over scientific evidence, even at the cost of an entire ecosystem and the species dependent upon it.
But science is the foundation of the Endangered Species Act, which was created more than 40 years ago to protect animals and plants from irreversible destruction, including threats like habitat loss and fragmentation, overharvesting, pollution, invasive species, and climate change.
Despite its overall success the Endangered Species Act has already withstood a barrage of politically motivated attacks over the years, from hidden policy riders in budget bills to blatant editing of scientific evidence in federal documents. Under the current administration, we've witnessed the introduction of several pieces of legislationintended to weaken the Endangered Species Act or block its use to protect specific species. But, as the New York Times reported, the threat has now escalated as opponents of species protection see a historic opportunity to permanently gut the Endangered Species Act – one which might end after the 2018 elections
If this happens, we will likely lose many of America's endangered species, including whooping cranes, California condors, bald eagles, bears, wolves, sea otters, seals, salmon, orcas and other species currently at risk.
It is up to all of us to prevent the Endangered Species Act from being hindered and save it, or else we may risk losing some of our favorite animals.
