Hello, I’m an environmental…

Hello, I’m an environmental conservation worker and parent who will soon be going back to school for a graduate degree in plant ecology. I care deeply about the protection of species-at-risk, including woodland caribou, American ginseng, and eastern meadowlark. The proposed interim changes to the Endangered Species Act and the newly proposed Species Conservation Act are deeply concerning. The existing legislation does a good job of protecting species habitat, including where species collect food, hibernate, reproduce, rear their young, and migrate, while the proposed legislation is far more limiting (only protects where species dwell). Habitat destruction is the leading cause of species extinction. The Endangered Species Act has been successful because it recognizes how critical habitat is. Weakening these protections harms our remaining natural heritage and endangers our responsibilities to future generations. I urge you to retain a strong, science-based understanding of “habitat” or even strengthen the current legislation to better define habitat according to science. The proposed legislation would also seemingly allow applicants to begin work that could threaten endangered species right after completing an online registration, instead of waiting to be issued a permit by the government. Although, a similar registration system is already in place, the proposed legalization would seemingly remove the need for permitting for virtually all applicants, including projects that affect deeply threatened species like woodland caribou. I think this proposed change lacks the strength to ensure development projects do not harm species-at-risk. The proposed legislation’s dropping of the need to develop species recovery strategies also concerning as it is a key part of the helping species-at-risk to rebuild their populations and getting them delisted as species-at-risk. I question whether the proposed legislation is strong enough to effectively help species-at-risk rebuild their populations. Thank you for your time.