What a Biden Presidency Could Mean For Wildlife Conservation

The USA faces a power shift. Right-wing gives way to left and with it comes a movement in the country’s approach to wildlife conservation. This is not a political blog, nor does it have an agenda, but the undeniable facts are that the Trump administration had a largely detrimental impact on wildlife conservation in the USA -- and indeed, the world. 

Could Biden’s presidency see this era come to an end?

Where the USA & Wildlife Conservation Went Wrong

The most notable problem of recent years was the restructuring (incapacitation) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) which essentially weakened the acts ability to protect vulnerable species and the habitats they rely on across US national parks, in favour of increasing available space for industrial activity like mining and oil drilling. 

Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior, campaigned for increased hunting of Alaskan brown bears.

Other issues include the reintroduction of seismic air guns for use in the Atlantic Ocean, which are deployed to locate pockets of gas and oil. The use of these tools was blocked by the Obama administration because of the damaging effects they have on marine life. Trump’s review board for the importation of the hides and heads of slain African trophy animals was also largely appointed with big game hunters who were known to shoot endangered species like elephants and rhinos. 

And, of course, by pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, we must consider the global impact of how the developing climate disaster is going to affect wildlife conservation around the globe. 

If you want to learn more, Defenders.org covers these problems and in detail. 

It’s worth noting that there are reports of the Trump administration improving wildlife conservation efforts in some areas, including the reintroduction of wolf populations and big game protection programs. What must also be acknowledged here is that these reports are directly out the government and are not covered by independent media, many of who largely condemn the Trump presidency for its role in deconstructing conservation policies. 

We could only find a single source outside of governmental websites discussing improvements made to wildlife under Trump’s administration, and it was written by his Secretary of the Interior.

As we’ve stated, this is not a political article, we are simply looking at the available evidence. 

Where Do We Go From Here?

Biden (and the Democratic Party as a whole) is looked upon as an ally to the conservation movement. Indeed, his democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, is noted as having several conservation victories during his presidency. These included his fights for cleaner environments across both the USA and the world, and better protection for at-risk species. 

Joe Biden ran his campaign on numerous issues, but one of the core elements worth paying attention to now is his commitment to environmentalism and sustainable practice. Early plans for his presidency are to reinstate some of the policies scrapped under Trump, including the hamstrung Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. 

Close to home, wildlife will benefit from the changes the Biden administration is set to implement. Parks and public areas will see old protections re-established, along with potentially new agreements set to add additional levels of protection. On a more global scale, Biden is set to re-join the Paris Agreement and push ahead with more aggressive environmental practices. Current movements towards oil and gas extraction at the cost of wildlife will see a shift in momentum. 

Much of Biden’s early days will be spent reversing the damage done in recent years, but looking to the future, environmentalists are hopeful that we’ll see a return to the kind of developments made during the Obama era. Biden has a strong history of supporting policies that benefit animals and animal welfare, and currently has an 83% approval score from the League of Conservation Voters. 

Currently, the future of wildlife conservation under the Biden administration is not entirely certain, but this change in US power marks the potential for some very positive developments following a period of undeniably bleak conservation prospects.