Hey, US folks--if you haven't already heard, the federal government is taking public comments on whether to weaken the Endangered Species Act. In short, they want to redefine the definition of "harming" wildlife (not just animals but also plants and fungi, though no fungi have been listed yet) so that the destruction of wildlife habitat is no longer considered to be harm under the ESA.
As anyone who knows anything about ecology, wildlife biology, or just the way the natural world works knows, if you destroy a species' habitat, you harm that species. Period. The people who want this definition changed are corporations and other entities who want to use sensitive wildlife habitat for logging, mining, even golf courses. Meanwhile, endangered species that rely on these places as their last havens are much more likely to go extinct because they can't just "go somewhere else".
This isn't wishy-washy bleeding-heart stuff here. This is SCIENCE. Actual scientists who have dedicated their careers to studying wildlife and their habitats are the ones who have been pushing so hard for decades to protect and restore these lands, and to educate people on why habitat destruction is the single biggest cause of species endangerment and extinction.
Sunday, May 18, 2025, is the last day to leave a public comment. You can do so at https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0034-0001. This doesn't have to be a long or involved comment; simply saying "I do not support changing the current definition of harm in the Endangered Species Act" is enough. It won't take long, but it will let those in charge know what we, the people, want. Thank you for taking the time for this.
(Please reblog, and thank you!)
izzy806
discoholicmusic
kaledo-art
dededos
