Public hunting grounds: the Trump administration announces its intention to expand access to hunting and fishing in wildlife refuges

The Trump administration announced Wednesday a plan to expand access Even further federal lands protected for hunting and fishing. The plan aims to expand access to 1.4 million acres of public land in 74 national wildlife refuges and 15 national hatcheries.

The ministry also plans to update hunting and fishing regulations in US shelters to better adapt them, said US Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt in a statement released Wednesday.

"President Trump is committed to expanding public access on public lands, and this proposal responds to this directive by further opening and increasing access to hunting and fishing at the Fish and Wildlife Service. in more stations and on more acres than ever before, "said Bernhardt 's statement said. "Hunting and fishing are more than just traditional pastimes, they are also essential to the conservation of our lands and waters, our outdoor recreation economy and our American way of life."

Bernhardt said that he was committed to giving people more access to sports activities. According to Bernhardt, lack of access is one of the most common reasons why people do not participate in outdoor activities.

The Interior Ministry said that hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities had generated more than 156 billion US dollars for the economy in 2015. It also highlighted sports groups supporting the proposal, including the Association of Hunting and Fishing Agencies, Delta Waterfowl, a non-profit hunting group and the Congress Athletes' Foundation.

Both Bernhardt and Margaret Everson, Assistant Director General of Services, emphasized the importance of hunting and fishing as a tradition to be passed on to families from generation to generation. "By harmonizing our shelter regulations with our state partners, we are reducing confusion and the regulatory burden on the American public, helping to maintain the tradition and benefits of hunting and fishing," said Everson.

The announcement comes as the Trump administration continues to roll back Obama's conservation policies. Last month, the government announced plans to replace the barriers across 100 miles of the southern border into California and Arizona, including through a national monument and wildlife refuge, which, according to environmentalists, will harm wildlife.

Last summer, the administration officials announced their intention to limit some protections for endangered species and proposed a new rule for reduce the number of wetlands under federal protection, which are vital to the water quality of the nation.

In May, the United Nations released its first comprehensive report on biodiversity, which revealed that the risk of extinction currently weighs on more than a million species of plants and animals. According to the report, the loss of species accelerates at a rate of tens or hundreds of times faster than in the past, with overfishing being one of the top five ways people use to reduce biodiversity.

The Fish and Wildlife Service will solicit public comment for 45 days on the proposed plan.