US Department of Interior

Critically endangered whooping cranes are part of a reintroduction program in Louisiana aiming to establish a self-sustaining population in the wild. While the program has shown success, advocates warn that potential habitat protection rollbacks or changes related to the Endangered Species Act could be widely detrimental to the birds due to ongoing threats from habitat loss.

Conservationists express concern that changes to the Endangered Species Act by the Trump administration could undermine recovery efforts for the red-cockaded woodpecker. The bird's population declined due to habitat loss, but the Act helped increase its numbers. A new policy no longer considers habitat destruction as direct harm, raising fears among experts about future protections.