Written by Sara Green for Chapin Magazine
Published September 10, 2026: https://www.chapinmagazine.com/home/2026/9/9/protecting-habitat-for-endangered-species
Protecting Habitat for Endangered Species
Mountain stream – photo by Greg Hammond
Standing amongst towering longleaf pines in the sandhills of South Carolina, I watch in awe as a pair of red-cockaded woodpeckers enter and exit a nesting cavity in one of the trees. I delight in the squeaky sounds of this species that has recently been removed from “endangered” status after decades of habitat restoration and conservation work.
Northern bobwhite quail – photo by Matthew Jolley
Suddenly, behind me, a different sound transports me back to my childhood – “bob-WHITE!” Now, that’s a sound I don’t hear as often anymore. Northern bobwhite quail populations have declined by more than 85% across the United States. However, numbers have started to increase again in SC over the last 10 years.
As I’m standing in the longleaf pine forest, watching red-cockaded woodpeckers and listening to the calling quail, I cannot help but think about how habitat restoration efforts have helped both of these species. They both thrive in mature pine woodlands without hardwood trees and dense shrubs. Regular controlled burns every 2 to 3 years prevent hardwood growth, allowing the low plants which quail need for their food and cover to flourish while making it easier for the woodpeckers to forage for food.
These important habitat protections have historically come from an important federal law – the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Because of the previous “endangered” status of the red-cockaded woodpecker, its habitat in longleaf pine forests has been protected through the ESA. Although the northern bobwhite quail isn’t endangered, its struggling population has also greatly benefited from the protections of the woodpeckers’ habitat.
This is just one example of how the habitat protections that the ESA has provided are critical to preserving endangered species populations, as well as many other species of wildlife that depend on those same habitats, including game species and migratory birds.
Today, these habitat protections are in jeopardy. A new federal rule attempts to eliminate protection for the habitat of endangered and threatened species. This could be a death sentence for imperiled wildlife and the at-risk habitats they depend on.
Worldwide, wildlife populations have declined by an average of nearly 70% in the past 50 years. More than one-third of U.S. wildlife species are at risk of extinction. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) has identified 1,764 species of plants and animals which are in need of conservation measures – more than double the number from 10 years ago!
Habitat loss is the #1 cause of extinction. Roughly 85% of ESA-listed species rely on habitat protection for their survival and recovery.
The ESA has been one of the most effective and comprehensive conservation laws in the world, preventing extinction for 99% of species protected by it since it was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973. Congress intended the ESA to regulate the destruction of habitat when it proclaimed the first purpose of the ESA was “to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved.”
For more than 50 years, through twenty-five congressional terms and ten presidential administrations, prohibited “take” of species protected by the ESA has included significant habitat changes that result in species death or injury.
South Carolina is now one of the fastest growing states in the country, and new development is popping up everywhere. Forests, fields and wetlands are disappearing and wildlife are pushed out in search of other suitable habitats.
The ESA’s historic definition of “harm” includes habitat destruction or modification. The ESA’s historic definition of prohibited “take” of a listed species included actions that destroyed habitat when doing so would kill or injure wildlife. The ESA thus forced parties who sought to destroy the habitat of listed species to look before they leapt.
Importantly, the ESA rarely stops development projects. Instead, professionals from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and/or the National Marine Fisheries Service work with developers to design a project that reduces harm to imperiled wildlife and their habitat. The ESA has worked historically to protect habitats while still allowing projects to proceed with adequate safeguards.
There are many examples of wildlife species that need habitat protections all across our state. Due to the different types of ecosystems from the mountains to the sea, our state hosts a globally significant variety of species.
Altering forest habitat would degrade nesting, denning, and feeding features for the recently listed northern long-eared bat and two other bat species in SC listed as endangered. According to the SCDNR, bat species prey on insects and are of great economic importance to the state – they suppress nocturnal insect populations, including crop and forest pests, and reduce the need for costly pesticides. Bats save South Carolina’s agricultural industry over $115 million each year in pest suppression services, totaling $22.9 billion for the U.S. annually.
The Carolina heelsplitter is a critically endangered freshwater mussel found in streams across central SC. These and other freshwater mussels help establish the foundation of aquatic ecosystems and are vital for water quality. Mussels are natural filters and help to remove algae and bacteria from streams by feeding on them. They keep waterways clean for fish and other aquatic organisms, as well as for people. Since they filter water, however, mussels are especially vulnerable to habitat alteration including building of impoundments, channelization, dredging, and streambank scouring by stormwater runoff.
Loggerhead sea turtles are South Carolina’s state reptile, and a beloved visitor to our sandy beaches every summer for nesting. They are listed as “threatened” under the ESA, and as such, our beaches have been protected from alteration that would disrupt nesting habitat for this species as well as the endangered leatherback and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles which also occasionally visit SC beaches. Coastal residents and tourists alike know that we can’t walk on the dunes to avoid destroying the very environment that the turtles rely on for nesting. We can’t leave chairs or tents on the beach overnight, and we must fill in holes in the sand for risk of obstructing the turtles. All of these protections help to keep the loggerheads coming back to our beaches every summer.
Loggerhead sea turtle – photo by Sara Green
Just down the beach, piping plovers, a small, federally threatened shorebird, use South Carolina’s coast extensively as a wintering and migratory stopover habitat. They arrive on the South Carolina coast from northern breeding grounds starting as early as July and remain through late winter or early spring. They rest and feed on our wide sandy beaches, sand spits, and small coastal islands where they look for food in shallow pools and muddy areas where ocean tides bring in tiny sea creatures. Like many of South Carolina’s listed species, plovers face many threats from habitat destruction or modification, such as ripping up dune grass, raking beaches without adequate spotting for nests, shoreline alteration, or stabilization projects. These habitat impacts undoubtedly cause harm to the plovers by destroying areas they need to rest and forage during a large part of the year.
Piping plovers – photo by Harry Collins
To continue to protect these and other endangered and threatened species, the South Carolina Wildlife Federation has joined with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), and state affiliates from North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, Oregon, and Hawaii to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in Federal District Court in Charleston, SC over the agencies’ reckless and illegal attempt to eliminate protection for the habitat of protected species under the ESA.
This unlawful regulatory shift could be a death sentence for imperiled wildlife and at-risk habitats they depend on, as well as common species which share those habitats. The agencies’ rescission violates federal laws including the Administrative Procedure Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the ESA itself. This issue is very simple – if we want to protect species, we have to protect their homes.
Loggerhead sea turtle hatchling – photo by Ron Scroggy
The South Carolina Wildlife Federation
One of the 52 state & territory affiliates of the National Wildlife Federation, the South Carolina Wildlife Federation (SCWF) was founded in 1931. As the oldest conservation organization in the state, SCWF promotes science-based wildlife conservation policies and provides high quality education programs for all ages. SCWF’s mission is to conserve and restore South Carolina’s wildlife and wildlife habitat through education and advocacy. This is an urgent responsibility for all South Carolinians. Our natural resources improve the quality of life for each of us: hunters and fishermen, hikers and bikers, bird watchers and nature lovers, surfers and kayakers, and countless others. Our goal is to help people connect more deeply with nature—and to protect it for the next generation. Contributions to SCWF are an investment in the quality of South Carolina’s future. For more information, visit scwf.org.
SCWF recently had the opportunity to represent South Carolina at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) 90th Annual Meeting – the largest and oldest gathering of grassroots conservation leaders in the nation.
This year, Rosemary Martin-Jones (SCWF Board Member & Affiliate Representative) and Sara Green (SCWF Executive Director & Alternate Affiliate Representative) represented SCWF and South Carolina at the recent NWF Annual Meeting held in Providence, RI. They not only voted on NWF resolutions and board members, but also had the opportunity to sit on committees and interact with colleagues at NWF and other state affiliate organizations. This meeting is always such a great opportunity for SCWF to learn from other affiliates, share our successes and brainstorm new ideas. They even got to hang out with Ranger Rick!
