US government restricts protection of endangered species

Jeanne Vesper

US government restricts protection of endangered species

In the future, the unintentional killing of endangered animals will no longer be considered a violation of the Endangered Species Act in the USA. That's according to a new interpretation of the Endangered Species Act by President Donald Trump's administration. A corresponding directive from the US Nature Conservation Agency Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) was sent to the agency's employees this week.

The regulation follows a change passed in July, which limited the previous official definition of “damage” in the Endangered Species Protection Act. For example, felling a tree with protected bats living in it should not be considered a violation as long as the tree was not felled with the aim of killing or capturing the animals.

Environmental protection organizations warn that the new interpretation could, among other things, make clearing and construction projects easier in which protected animals are unintentionally killed or injured. The government, however, says the changes restore the original intent of the law. The Endangered Species Act further specifically prohibits the targeted hunting, harming, killing, trapping, or similar actions of protected animals.