Another major change is that new threatened species will no longer automatically have all of the protections that endangered species do, Rissman said. Before, threatened and endangered species were treated the same. Rissman said this could give businesses more power to modify the habitats of threatened species.

Critics also worry that the potential future impact climate change could have on species’ habitats won’t fully be considered under the new rules, she said.

While weakened future protections are possible, Rissman said, it is important to note that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, one of the agencies in charge of implementing the Endangered Species Act, could choose to provide the same protections as it did before.

“The agency could do less than it used to do, or it could decide to do basically the same,” she said. “But this gives it the option to do less.”

In terms of Wisconsin, the federal changes do not apply to plants and animals on the state Department of Natural Resources’ list of endangered and threatened species, Rissman said. Species can be added to the DNR’s list and receive state protections in the same way as before.