Defend the Endangered Species Act

Under the Endangered Species Act, the federal government designates critical habitats to protect threatened and endangered wildlife. Proposed rule changes would allow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prioritize economic interests over habitat conservation thus depriving newly listed species of the food, shelter and habitats they need to live and recover.  This would weaken one of the ESA’s most important protections.

Zoo New England actively supports conservation of the Mexican gray wolf, a species that depends on large, connected landscapes to hunt, migrate, and maintain healthy populations. When habitats are fragmented by development or resource extraction, wolves lose access to the space they need to survive and recover. Protecting critical habitat is essential not only for their immediate survival but also for the long-term recovery of the species.

Here in New England, many native species also rely on connected habitats. Freshwater turtles, box turtles, brook trout, pollinators, and native amphibians require intact wetlands, streams, rivers, forests, and meadows to feed, breed, and migrate. Fragmented habitats make it difficult for these species to survive and reproduce, increasing the risk of population declines and local extinctions. Strong habitat protections under the ESA are essential for their conservation.

Current ESA rules require federal agencies to work together to ensure infrastructure projects do not jeopardize endangered wildlife or their habitats. Proposed changes to the ESA would weaken this collaboration, reducing opportunities for wildlife experts and agencies to assess and mitigate harm before projects proceed.

This new rule change poses a big problem for species like the Canada lynx, whose habitat is threatened by logging and the expansion of roads and housing development. By reducing the scope of review and giving agencies greater leeway to approve projects without fully evaluating cumulative or indirect effects, species will be more vulnerable to habitat loss and population decline.  

Throughout New England, our Conservation team works to restore habitat, protect connectivity, and mitigate threats to native species' survival. But our conservation effectiveness largely depends on strong federal oversight and collaborative processes which thoroughly assess development impacts and actively prevent harm to wildlife and their habitats. Maintaining robust ESA review processes ensures that both local and broader ecosystems remain resilient in the face of development and climate-related challenges.

Under the Endangered Species Act, the long-standing “blanket rule” automatically provides newly listed threatened species with the same baseline protections as endangered species while the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service develops species-specific safeguards. The proposed rule change would eliminate this critical safety net, meaning future threatened species could go months or even years without the protections essential to preventing further decline.

This change poses a serious risk to current and future species under review for federal protection under the ESA, like the Blanding’s turtles right in our backyard. Zoo New England’s HATCH program works with local schools to raise young turtle hatchlings for eventual release, increasing their chances of surviving to adulthood. One of these turtles, named Ivy, ‘graduated’ from the program and was released over a decade ago. Thanks to years of careful monitoring and community conservation, Ivy has now laid her own eggs in nesting habitat specifically protected for Blanding’s turtles. This success illustrates how meaningful conservation outcomes can take many years of patient work, consistent protections, and early intervention to succeed. Without automatic protections under the ESA, species like Blanding’s turtles could face regulatory gaps during the most precarious stage of their recovery, leaving young and newly listed populations vulnerable to harm before species-specific rules are issued.

At Zoo New England, our conservation work, from restoring habitat connectivity for native species to advocating for ecosystem resilience, depends on strong federal safeguards that take effect immediately when a species is recognized as threatened. Without the ESA’s default protections in place, conservation actions may come too late, and agencies may face added delays and inconsistencies that impede science-based recovery planning.

The ESA currently requires assessment and consideration of future threats when deciding whether to list a species. Proposed changes risk narrowing how the “foreseeable future” is interpreted for threatened species, reinforcing language that makes it harder to designate unoccupied critical habitat, and reinstating provisions that complicate listing decisions, delisting actions, and consideration of climate change impacts. If implemented, agencies will no longer be required to look as far down the road when assessing risk and impact.

This is particularly concerning for species like the marbled salamander in Massachusetts. Once extirpated from the Middlesex Fells due to habitat loss, these salamanders are now being reintroduced and carefully monitored by Zoo New England’s conservation team. Recently, volunteers and biologists confirmed the first reproduction of reintroduced salamanders in nearly a century, with larvae observed in vernal pools. Weakening the ability for federal agencies to designate essential habitat and consider cumulative threats such as climate change or disease could jeopardize recovery for sensitive species like the marbled salamander and prevent similar successes in the future.

Maintaining rigorous ESA consultation and review processes ensures that development and management decisions fully consider the needs of wildlife and their habitats. These protections help safeguard species from future threats and support sustainable ecosystems over the long term.