© Smith Collection/gado/Getty ImagesA monarch butterfly collects nectar from a flower in the People's Garden, in Washington, D.C. in 2014.
The Trump administration announced changes to how the government handles
endangered species on Monday, a move that advocates say could make it more difficult to protect species that are threatened by human activity and
climate change.
The newly finalized rules would change the requirements for how the government decides to add or remove species from the list of endangered
animals that are regulated by the government, including limiting how much habitat can be protected to areas where the animals currently live. The changes would also require that each species listed as threatened in the future have its own plan for how it will be protected and if any hunting of that species is allowed, instead of issuing blanket policies that apply to every threatened species.
The changes would not alter the protections for species currently listed as threatened or endangered, but would apply to future decisions about changing listings.
Administration officials said the changes will still protect critical species and habitat but will also make the process more efficient and follow President Donald Trump's mandate to eliminate regulations.
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