U.S. Trump Administration Weakens Endangered Species Habitat Protections

In July 2024 the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that the Trump administration was rescinding the long‑standing definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act, a change that takes effect on September 14. The revision narrows habitat protections for endangered species and is intended to reduce regulatory burdens on landowners and industry. Conservation groups have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court challenging the repeal.

Canadian wildlife experts warn that the rule change threatens species that move across the U.S.–Canada border, including migratory birds, northern spotted owls, grizzly bears and the southern resident killer whales. “There are no border crossings in [the orcas’] habitat. They just swim back and forth between U.S. waters and Canadian waters and they don’t know the difference,” said Torrance Coste of the Wilderness Committee. The Center for Biological Diversity also warned that the weakened definition undermines five decades of species protection.

The policy shift marks a significant rollback of environmental safeguards that had bipartisan support since the Endangered Species Act’s passage in 1973.