Trump Administration Moves to Roll Back Endangered Species Protections

The Trump administration has proposed four new rules that would significantly weaken U.S. endangered species protections, reversing Biden-era regulations designed to strengthen safeguards for vulnerable wildlife. The proposals mark the latest step in President Donald Trump’s broader push to scale back federal regulations he argues burden businesses and slow infrastructure development.

Under the changes, economic and national security considerations would play a larger role in deciding whether certain areas should be designated as critical habitat — zones essential for the survival of endangered species and subject to special protections. Another proposal would eliminate the default blanket safeguards for threatened species, instead requiring species-specific rules that conservation groups warn could slow or dilute protections.

The Interior Department says the move simply restores regulatory language from Trump’s first term, arguing the revisions will improve clarity and reduce red tape. “These actions reaffirm our commitment to science-based conservation that works hand-in-hand with America’s energy, agricultural and infrastructure priorities,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik said.

Environmental organisations sharply criticised the proposals. Stephanie Kurose of the Center for Biological Diversity called the plan “a death sentence” for species such as wolverines, monarch butterflies and Florida manatees, warning the changes could undermine decades of conservation progress.