The Trump administration’s latest move excludes habitat destruction from the definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act. Critics worry that by removing such protections, wildlife could be left vulnerable to irreparable damage in the places they depend on for survival.

At the entrance to Wyperfeld National Park in north-west Victoria, more than a dozen pink cockatoos perch on pine trees that aren’t their own. With bushfires ravaging native conifers, these vivid birds are left clinging to an uncertain future, prompting the question of whether the “flamin’ cockatoos” can endure.