Endangering the Endangered

Earlier this week, the Trump Administration shocked (well, not really) the conservation community by announcing sweeping changes to the implementation of the Endangered Species Act.  The ESA, signed into law in 1973 by Richard Nixon, is credited with having helped save many of America's most iconic species for extinction, including the grizzly bear, the American alligator, and, of course, the bald eagle.  The Trump Administration proposes changes that will limit the protection many of these species could receive in the future.

Among the implications of these changes are an increased emphasis on the economic implications of listing a species as endangered.  Economics will always play a factor in how we protect an endangered species, but it should never be a factor in acknowledging if a species is endangered or not.  I fear that one of the primary targets of this change is the white whale of America's battle for natural resources - the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  If arguments can be made that species there aren't endangered and aren't in need of protection, it makes it that much easier to open this magnificent yet fragile landscape - America's version of the Serengeti - to oil drilling.



Speaking of the Arctic and fossil fuels, the proposed changes would limit protection concerns to immediate, pressing issues, rather than conservation for "the foreseeable future."  What's that all about - climate change.  It seeks to reduce protections for species that will be adversely impacted by climate change.  An example of a species that will be negatively impacted is the wolverine.  With less snow, there will be fewer denning sites of these spunky carnivores.

Currently, species which are classified as "Threatened" receive the same legal protection as those listed as "Endangered."  That will change.  I find this very frustrating, as we've seen again and again, the best way to save an endangered species is to NOT LET IT BECOME ENDANGERED.

I'm grateful that many non-profits and wildlife organizations, zoos and aquariums among them, are speaking out against these disastrous policies.  I've been lucky enough to see many of America's rarest and most unique animals in the wild, and work with many more in a zoo setting.  To lose any of them to these changes, to sacrifice them to greed or antipathy or to score a few points with one's political base in the build up to an election, I find repugnant.

The United States has been blessed with some of the most magnificent, diverse wildlife and wild places in the world.  In our less than 250 year history, we've already lost so much.  Don't let us lose any more.  Call your Representatives and Senators.  Make your voice heard.

Statement from the San Diego Zoo concerning proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act