Trump administration proposes cutting habitat protections for endangered species

Published April 17, 2025 11:43am ET



The Trump administration is seeking to roll back protections afforded to endangered species in an effort to make it easier to build in their habitats. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service proposed a rule change on Thursday to redefine “harm” narrowly in the Endangered Species Act. Under the current interpretation of the law, “harm” includes habitat modification that may lead to loss of habitat or harm to a species. The agency is seeking to limit the definition of “harm” to “take,” which is defined as “to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect” the animal itself. 

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