A day after faith leaders published petitions urging Congress not to weaken the Endangered Species Act, over 600 scientists sent a letter echoing the call. The letter underscores that policy decisions must be based on science when addressing threatened and endangered wildlife.
“Amid escalating legislative and administrative attacks, we are urging Congress to uphold the ESA and its highly effective science-based framework,” said Alison Gainsbury, director of the Center for Conservation Innovation at the Defenders of Wildlife. “These letters underscore the widespread support for Endangered Species Act protections, which are vital to stopping extinction. Ongoing attempts to weaken this crucial law are deeply concerning.”
Despite the ESA’s proven track record in saving 99 percent of listed species, the planet remains on course for a sixth mass extinction, according to Defenders of Wildlife. Even as endangered species are vanishing at the most rapid rate in human history, the Trump administration and Congress have proposed numerous harmful revisions and rollbacks that would dismantle the ESA.
“Scientists across the country are working to prevent extinctions and recover endangered species,” said conservation biologist Dr. Tom Sisk, advisor to the 50 Voices for Endangered Species scientific community and a lead signer of the letter. “We recognize the Endangered Species Act’s essential role in achieving these goals and upholding the scientific framework that guides wildlife conservation efforts in every state."
In addition to the signatories of these letters, most Americans support the ESA, according to a nationwide poll conducted by Defenders in 2025, which revealed that 95 percent of voters support the ESA.
“This message couldn’t be timelier. This Congress, 56 bills, amendments and riders have been advanced to eviscerate the ESA, the nation’s most successful law for preventing extinction, and now, the Trump administration is seeking public comments on proposals that severely undermine the implementation of the ESA,” said Gainsbury. “The proposed rules could impact every species currently listed, any species considered for future listing and the habitats they depend on.”
“As scientists, we stress that the loss of species is not only a moral tragedy, but also a practical threat,” states the letter. “These species and their connections to each other and the world around us underpin ecosystem services essential to human well-being: clean water, pollination, disease regulation, carbon storage, and climate resilience, to name a few. The ESA does not just protect wildlife; it protects the systems that support agriculture, economies, and communities.”
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