U.S officials have proposed a $31 million plan to help populations of Canadian Lynx recover in the northern areas of the country.

According to the Portland Press Herald, populations of the cats including those in Maine and New Hampshire are at risk as warmer temperatures reduce their natural habitat. The habitat loss also effects the snowshoe hare, the primary food for the lynx.

The proposal says protecting 95% of current lynx habitat in the lower 48 states would help the species remain viable. And as a potential climate change refuge, the proposal says that the cats could be moved into the Yellowstone area of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.

The proposal also aims for a minimum population of 875 lynx over the next 20 years. Canadian lynx currently number around 1,100 in the contiguous U.S, with the populations mostly in the Rockies and northeaster U.S. Most areas suitable for lynx are in Alaska and Canada.

These efforts are a course reversal from the previous administration, when officials under former president Trump said lynx had recovered and didn’t need protection after their numbers had rebounded in some areas.

To read the original Portland Press Herald article, click here.