What is the biggest reason that many species face extinction? You can sum it up in one phrase: Loss of Habitat. The way to protect a species in decline is to protect its habitat.
The Trump administration now plans to redefine “harm” to mean the deliberate killing of members of that species. You must only protect a species from being trapped or shot. If you cut down a forest necessary for the survival of a species and the species is then goes extinct, that doesn’t count. You didn’t actually set out to kill the animal or plant or insect. It just happened to be a byproduct.
This change, of course, will mean an increased number of extinctions. It will also gut one of the most effective laws ever passed. It is just one more example of how little this administration cares about the natural world.
In the daily uproar of bad news and stupid decisions, this change is almost unnoticed, but it will definitely be noticed in the years ahead. Mining, lumber, and petroleum interests and developers are, of course, delighted.
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