Dear NRDC Activist,

President Trump moved to dramatically weaken the Endangered Species Act this week — yet another threat to the one million species already facing extinction.

Populations of some of our planet's most threatened and endangered species are continuing to plummet — due in large part to demand for animal products and hunting trophies in the U.S. and around the world.

Thankfully, we have a chance to save these animals — and here's how:

On August 17, more than 3,000 world leaders and representatives from 183 countries — including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) — will meet in Geneva, Switzerland for the World Wildlife Conference, also called the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Their agenda: how best to ensure that international trade of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

And now that Trump has moved to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act, we need to push harder to protect wildlife in other venues, like the World Wildlife Conference.

So please send a message to Fish and Wildlife urging them to use their power at the CITES meeting to increase protections for our most at-risk species.

We are focusing our attention on seven species at this conference, in particular, where global leaders will come together to discuss and vote on proposals that will either help them, or doom them:

Rhinos are under severe pressure from poaching and illegal trade, and by most estimates, black rhinos are only a decade away from extinction. Urge the FWS to help save rhinos at CITES >> African elephants are threatened by poachers who slaughter these majestic animals for their ivory tusks. They're also targeted by trophy hunters who shoot them merely for bragging rights. This must stop — help increase protections for African elephants at CITES >> Recent investigations have shown that populations of two rare otter species have drastically declined largely because of global trade. Help us fight to ban all international trade for these two species of otters at CITES >> Sharks are crucial to ocean health, but today many are in steep decline and/or highly depleted due to illegal overfishing. With roughly a quarter of sharks at risk of extinction, we need strong safeguards that will help to combat shark overfishing and end illegal trade in shark fins: Send your urgent message now >> There are only 10 of the critically endangered vaquita porpoise left on the planet. Why? Because vaquitas become entangled and drown in gillnets that are used to illegally catch other fish. Help ensure the FWS votes to protect this near-extinct species >> We do whatever it takes to defend threatened and endangered wildlife at home, and now we have a chance to provide protections to species abroad. But we need your help to do it: Send a message to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service urging them to vote for increased protections for endangered species at CITES. Thank you for all that you do. Sincerely, Zak Smith Director, International Wildlife Conservation Initiative, NRDC Photo credit from top to bottom, iStock, iStock, Dr. Nicole Duplaix, Deposit Photos, Nature Picture Library via Alamy, Thomas A. Jefferson The mission of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. We appreciate the opportunity to communicate with you and other NRDC Activists. We are committed to protecting your privacy and will never sell, exchange or rent your email address. Unsubscribe | Update Your Information | About Us | Contact Us | Privacy Policy Natural Resources Defense Council | 40 West 20th Street | New York, NY 10011 www.nrdc.org