Trump administration proposes major weakening of endangered species protections, sparking conservation concerns

The Trump administration unveiled a controversial proposal Wednesday that would significantly weaken key provisions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), one of America’s most important wildlife protection laws. Conservation experts warn the changes could accelerate species extinctions at a time when biodiversity loss has reached crisis levels worldwide.

The proposed regulatory rollbacks would fundamentally alter how the federal government approaches wildlife protection. Most notably, the plan would give officials greater authority to consider economic factors when designating critical habitats for endangered species—a change that could prioritize development projects over conservation needs. The proposal also seeks to eliminate protections that account for future threats, including those posed by climate change, potentially leaving vulnerable species without safeguards against emerging dangers.

Perhaps most significantly, the administration wants to end the automatic protection currently extended to “threatened” species. Under current law, animals and plants listed as threatened—meaning they’re likely to become endangered—receive the same legal protections as those already classified as endangered. Removing this “blanket rule” would create a two-tiered system that could leave threatened species more vulnerable to habitat destruction and other pressures.

Environmental advocates view this proposal as part of a broader pattern of rolling back wildlife protections under the Trump administration. They argue that weakening the ESA—which has helped save iconic species like the bald eagle, gray whale, and California condor from extinction—comes at a particularly dangerous moment when scientists estimate species are disappearing at rates not seen since the last mass extinction event 65 million years ago.