Trump rollback of US forest protections could accelerate extinction of 400 endangered species

Key Points:

• The Trump administration rescinded the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which protected over 7.4 million acres of endangered species habitat and nearly 1,800 miles of rivers and streams in national forests, opening more than 45 million acres to roads, drilling, and logging.
• Conservationists warn this rollback threatens over 400 endangered species, including grizzly bears, gray wolves, wild salmon, Mexican spotted owls, and rare butterflies, by fragmenting habitats, degrading water quality, and increasing wildfire risks.
• Key regions at risk include the Rocky Mountains, Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the US south and southeast, the southwest, the Pacific region, the northeast, and the upper Midwest, all providing critical habitat and drinking water sources for millions of people.
• The Tongass National Forest, vital for wild salmon and local economies in southeast Alaska, faces potential damage that could impact commercial fishing and drinking water supplies for communities like Sitka.
• National forests in the southwest and other regions supply significant portions of drinking water to major cities such as Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Albuquerque, with road construction and logging threatening these essential resources and numerous federally protected species.