Topeka ? Threatened and endangered species in Kansas would see their protected habitats greatly shrink under a proposal that would change how those habitats are designated, a conservationist warned a Senate committee Wednesday.

The measure before the Senate Natural Resources Committee would add a narrow definition of critical habitats and restrict habitat protection to areas where a vulnerable species lives. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism would also need to publish a recovery plan on the department’s website for each vulnerable species.

The state wildlife agency currently reviews any project site that requires a state or federal permit. They ensure that no vulnerable species will be threatened by offering suggestions to mitigate damage to the habitat.

The agency said that of the roughly 11,000 permit requests received from 2011 through 2015, only about nine per year required mitigation.

The measure would scrap the need for such permits unless a project could clash with the federal Endangered Species Act. The state wildlife agency also would need to create a detailed recovery plan for each vulnerable species before taking any action to protect its habitat.

Critics say the bill doesn’t take into consideration potential territories where such species could migrate. Zack Pistora, a Sierra Club lobbyist, testified that the bill would have “unintended consequences” in cutting habitat protections by 60 percent.

The state only has recovery plans for fewer than half of the 51 species on the threatened or endangered species list. Pistora said he fears the species without plans could be put at greater risk.

“I’m concerned that future generations of Kansans could be ripped off from having the important biological diversity in species that we have today,” Pistora said. He added that Department of Wildlife might also lose federal funding if standards for wildlife protection fall short.

Ron Klataske, the Executive Director of Audubon of Kansas, said that recovery plans are time consuming because they require an extensive survey of the species. He said that a species could be in harm’s way before the department finishes creating the recovery plan.

Farmers and ranchers say that the measure would clarify the Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act. John Donley, a Kansas Bureau of Farmers lobbyist who spoke in favor of the bill last week, said in a written statement to the committee that a recovery plan would inform farmers of a species’ habitat.

“This will hopefully encourage a more amicable relationship as farmers and ranchers try to conduct business in these potential areas,” Donley wrote.

Aaron Popelka, a lobbyist from The Kansas Livestock Association, also testified last week that permits were previously threatened when ranchers ventured into protected habitat.

“It’s a transparency bill that requires the department to do what it should already be doing,” Popelka told the Associated Press on Wednesday.

The committee has not scheduled a debate on the bill.