search
endangered species
Trends
- 1Trump administration allows killing of endangered species▼Trump administration says developers, loggers can kill endangered species
The Trump administration has issued a new policy stating that developers and loggers may kill endangered species, drawing criticism from conservation groups. Critics say the rule weakens protections under the Endangered Species Act and prioritises industry over wildlife, while supporters argue it reduces regulatory burdens on construction and timber activities.
- 2Trump plan to weaken Endangered Species Act draws on Scalia dissent●Trump's sneaky plan to gut Endangered Species Act draws from 1995 Scalia dissent
The Trump administration is pursuing changes to the Endangered Species Act that reportedly take their legal reasoning from Justice Antonin Scalia's 1995 dissent in Sweet Home Chapter of Communities for a Greater Oregon. That dissent argued the law should not protect habitat modifications that do not directly harm animals. Critics call the move a stealth effort to narrow protections for threatened species and their habitats.
- 3Greater One-Horned Rhino Population Hits Record 4,075●The global population of greater one-horned rhinos has hit a record 4,075. Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India, shel
The global population of greater one-horned rhinos has reached a record high of 4,075. Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India, shelters more than 2,600 of them. Poaching, once the species' biggest threat, has fallen 86% since 2016, and India, Nepal and Indonesia all reported zero rhino poaching incidents, marking a major conservation success for the endangered species.
- 4Crews begin tree work near habitat of 200,000 endangered Indiana bats at Mark Twain Lake▼About 200,000 endangered Indiana bats spend summers around Missouri’s Mark Twain Lake; crews are now thin
Around 200,000 endangered Indiana bats spend their summers in the forests around Mark Twain Lake in Missouri, and work crews are now thinning trees in the area. The activity has drawn attention because the bats depend on the lake's surrounding woodland for summer roosting, raising questions about how the work will be balanced with protection of the federally endangered species.