Katelyn Weisbrod | July 26, 2018

Adorable otters, majestic bald eagles, and fearsome gray wolves are not the only things at stake as the Trump administration considers revisions to the Endangered Species Act.

The law, passed in 1973, aims to protect a list of species with critically low population sizes. The revision to the law proposes considering economic costs when making decisions about protection of endangered species.

Time Magazine reported this week the many economic benefits of protecting America’s wildlife. These animals contribute to a broader, delicate ecosystem that can have serious implications if altered. The National Fish and Wildlife foundation reported in 2011 that ecosystem services in the contiguous U.S. contribute to 10 percent of the country’s gross-domestic product. Activities like hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching amount to millions of dollars every year in retail sales and tax revenue, according to the same report.

Although the costs of protecting wildlife are real, Time reported, the implications hit corporations the hardest rather than the country as a whole. In 2015, four out of five Americans supported the law, PBS News Hour found.