In a cold Appalachian stream, survival of the eastern hellbender—a large aquatic salamander—is tied to water that must remain clean, cold, and oxygen-rich, and to an ecosystem that functions largely invisibly until it begins to fail. The same streams that the eastern hellbender thrives in also support fish, aquatic insects, and the broader freshwater ecosystems that communities rely on.
“There are these streams out there where there are hellbenders…but they haven’t been able to reproduce in decades successfully,” said Noah Greenwald of the Center for Biological Diversity in an interview with NPQ.
It is one of the largest salamanders in North America. Greenwald’s team petitioned for protection under the Endangered Species Act in 2010. More than a decade late, Greenwald says that the species is still waiting for a final listing.
Gaps in the Endangered Species Act
Hundreds of at-risk species still wait years to be considered for protection under the Endangered Species Act, as delays, low funding, and decisions like the Gulf of America exemption—which allows oil and gas activities in the region.
There are 1,682 species listed under ESA. However, a 2026 study identified 2,204 more species with documented threats that may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). “Right now, species that are actually under consideration—it’s over 400 species,” Greenwald said. “The true backlog is much bigger.”
Greenwald explained that the law requires that species be evaluated based on threats such as habitat destruction, disease, and other pressures. Once listed, the federal agencies must ensure their actions do not jeopardize those species or destroy their habitat. The study found that 92 percent of the species identified are threatened primarily by habitat destruction.
Hundreds of at-risk species still wait years to be considered for protection under the Endangered Species Act, as delays, low funding, and decisions like the Gulf of America exemption—which allows oil and gas activities in the region. Despite the ESA protecting many habitats there, put ecosystems and communities at risk.
“Between 1985 and 2020, the number of species listed under the ESA increased by 300 percent, but resource management appropriations per species dropped by nearly 50 percent, meaning that FWS [US Fish and Wildlife Service] is being tasked with protecting more species with fewer resources.”
Delay and (Lack of) Funding
The act is within the authority of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal agency responsible for administering and enforcing it.
“The Endangered Species Act actually places strict timelines on the Fish and Wildlife Service,” Greenwald said. “So, it’s a process that’s not supposed to take more than two years.” Instead, he noted, “The median wait time was 12 years.”
The reasons for the delays are funding and political will. With the second Trump administration, the funding for listing species for protection under the act has been cut from around $21–22 million to $14 million. And, Greenwald said, “ probably…$80 to $100 million a year” is required for the evaluation and listing. He added, “For the federal government, it’s just so little money.” What is truly needed to properly fund the program is somewhere between $80-$100 million a year, Greenwald explains.
“Since its inception, the Endangered Species Act has been underfunded,” said Erich Eberhard, an ecologist at Columbia University’s Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, in an interview with NPQ. “Between 1985 and 2020, the number of species listed under the ESA increased by 300 percent, but resource management appropriations per species dropped by nearly 50 percent, meaning that FWS [US Fish and Wildlife Service] is being tasked with protecting more species with fewer resources,” said Eberhard.
Trump 2.0 and Short-term Economic Gains
On March 31, 2026, the Endangered Species Committee voted to “exempt Gulf of America Oil and Gas Activities from the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.” In the live stream of the vote, it was repeatedly mentioned that litigation under ESA diverts federal resources and halts oil and gas activities, particularly when they are a “matter of national security.”
In a press release, the Center for Biological Diversity stated that the proposed exemption could increase risks to species such as Rice’s whales, sperm whales, and sea turtles by weakening requirements designed to reduce ship strikes. One opinion already concludes that such activity is jeopardizing the whales’ survival.
A paper, published in Science, by Colin Anthony, a doctoral fellow at the Department of Integrated Biosciences at the University of Tokyo, and colleagues argues that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) should rescind recent ESA revisions, as these changes “expand the government’s authority to bypass critical habitat regulations” amid prioritizing energy production, economic benefits, and national security.
These arborescent acropora corals have already become “functionally extinct in Florida as of 2023,” and in Guam, they have experienced significant declines linked to development and thermal stress, reducing the habitat that supports marine life.
Sign up for our free newsletters
Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.
What We Lose with a Weakened ESA
When coral habitats decline, fisheries that depend on them can also be affected; when freshwater systems degrade, water quality and river biodiversity can change in ways that directly impact communities.
A 2022 study by Eberhard found that ESA was underfunded in both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Protecting biodiversity and threatened species has obvious economic benefits, often not measured in conventional market terms.
For instance, a 2019 study found that 100,000 more salmon returning to the Oregon Coast each year is worth up to $518 million annually to Pacific Northwest residents. And if that recovery happens fast rather than slowly, people value that urgency at an extra $277 million a year on top.
That’s just one example of livelihood and food security benefits. Apart from this, protecting wetlands and mangroves provides essential natural services like water purification and protection against flooding, which would otherwise need engineered solutions.
Another important aspect is human health. Many studies conclude that preserving ecosystems would “generally reduce the prevalence of infectious disease.” Some species are also an important source of origin for pharmaceuticals.
Greenwald, who has worked on species protection for nearly three decades, said political shifts shape how the Endangered Species Act is implemented. “Republican administrations…[are] aggressively anti-regulatory,” he said, while Democrats “don’t actively try to curb activities…but they’re not exactly cheering on strong regulatory protections for species either.”
A 2022 study by Eberhard found that ESA was underfunded in both Democratic and Republican administrations. Though experts say there is something more deliberate about Trump’s second term.
“To be honest, I think this is the current administration’s goal: slow the scientific community to give themselves more freedom to exploit our natural resources without regulation,” said Anthony in an interview with NPQ.
“Trump, so far, hasn’t listed a single species in his second term,” Greenwald said, adding that about 25 species were listed during his first term, compared to more than 500 species under Clinton and more than 300 under Obama. Public support for the Endangered Species Act remains high, with surveys showing that 84 percent of Americans support the law.
Even with all constraints, the ESA remains the “strongest law for protection of biodiversity” in the United States, Eberhard said, “and has served as a model for conservation policy around the world.” Experts believe that it has helped improve the status of many species. The act funds more conservation activities for critical habitats that otherwise wouldn’t have received the same level of support.
What we need to do is “empower those who are doing the work of conservation daily and who have been doing it for decades,” Eberhard emphasizes. “The single greatest barrier to conservation right now is not a lack of know-how; it’s a lack of support.”
Conserving monarch butterflies can function as “a good umbrella species for insects,” noting that pesticide use is “taking out all the milkweed…the only plant that they need.” Together, he said, these species reflect broader ecological change, where “as we lose species, we potentially lose the functioning of those ecosystems…and if we don’t do better, there’s going to be a price to be paid,” said Greenwald.
“We should not be afraid to assert that all species deserve protection,” Eberhard said.
