Friends of Animals submitted comments this week to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), opposing the proposition to rescind the definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Harm, as defined by the ESA, includes habitat destruction that kills or injures wildlife, and has long been a cornerstone of ESA enforcement.

 In our comments, FoA wrote that “The Proposed Rule attempts to strip the ESA of a critical factor to that success—its protection of threatened and endangered species’ habitat.”

Under the current law, the ESA prohibits the “take” of listed species—a term that includes harming or killing wildlife through habitat degradation. Removing habitat destruction from the definition of “harm” would seriously weaken the legal tools that have saved hundreds of species from extinction.

We strongly urge the service to maintain its current definition, emphasizing that habitat destruction is the leading cause of biodiversity loss.

The ESA cannot effectively protect species if it does not protect the places they need to survive.