Louisiana's rivers are home to some of the most unique turtle species in North America, including the Pearl River map turtle. These turtles and their close relatives (like the Pascagoula, Escambia, and Alabama map turtles) are under threat from the international pet trade, habitat destruction, and water pollution.

The Trump administration’s proposed rollback of look-alike protections under the Endangered Species Act puts these species in greater danger by removing key safeguards that help prevent illegal collection and trafficking. Law enforcement officers often cannot distinguish between these turtles in the field, and removing protections gives poachers plausible deniability.

These turtles were only recently granted federal protection after years of advocacy and research. To weaken those protections now would be irresponsible and short-sighted.

We call on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Governor John Bel Edwards, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to oppose this rollback and defend our native turtle populations. Louisiana’s river ecosystems depend on biodiversity—let’s keep it that way.