The Environment Species Coalition in Washington, D.C. has just released its "Top 10 Species to Prioritize" in a report aimed at the incoming Trump administration. Conservationists are becoming increasingly worried about Trump's proposed cabinet, which is set to be full of climate change deniers. There have even been suggestions of selling off national monuments and marine parks to oil companies for drilling purposes. This is a massive shift from the current, environmentally friendly administration under President Obama, who has broken the record for having the most species named after him.
Nine animals to be exact. Second is Theodore Roosevelt with seven species.
Top 10 endangered species
Many of the species listed are vital to the survival of their respective ecosystems, such as the elkhorn coral -- the most crucial reef-building coral in the Caribbean. The Joshua tree, which is found in the Mojave and Colorado deserts, is another critically endangered plant on the list. Jaguars, wolves, and African elephants are the three mammals that are also in desperate need of protection due to poaching and loss of habitat from land development. Marine life is also mentioned with Snake River Chinook salmon and the vaquita. Vaquita means "little cow" in Spanish and is the smallest, most endangered cetacean, with less than 60 remaining.
Hawaii's yellow-faced bee, greater sage-grouse, and the bald cypress tree are also listed in the report. This list highlights the top 10 endangered species and also mentions others that should remain protected as well. Many of these species are set to be extinct within a few short years if steps are not taken to protect them.
Climate change deniers
Trump's proposed cabinet members are known to be climate change deniers. He is set to nominate Scott Pruitt as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is a man who is anti-regulatory, pro-fossil fuel industry, and also currently suing the EPA over the Clean Power Plan -- an attempt to reduce air and waterway pollution by cutting back on carbon emissions.
On January 3, the predominately Republican House passed a provision that will change the cost calculation of transferring federal land. This will make it easier for states and local regulators to sell off land to the fossil fuel industry. This is an interesting move, with Trump's nominee for Secretary of State being ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson.
Leda Huta, executive director of the Endangered Species Coalition, has urged the incoming administration to follow in the footsteps of previous Republican presidents. President Theodore Roosevelt established the US Forest Service, and President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It is unclear whether or not Trump will heed these environmental warnings. What is clear is that environmentalists and conservationists all over the world will not decrease their efforts to protect the planet and its endangered species.
