Short title

This Act may be cited as the

Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2008

Purposes

The purposes of this Act are to provide financial resources and to foster international cooperation— (1)to restore and perpetuate healthy populations of rare felids and rare canids in the wild; and (2)to assist in the conservation of rare felid and rare canid populations worldwide.

Definitions

In this Act: (1)

CITES

The term CITES means the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, done at Washington March 3, 1973 (27 UST 1087; TIAS 8249), including its appendices. (2)

Conservation

The term conservation— (A)means the methods and procedures necessary to bring a species of rare felid or rare canid to the point at which there are sufficient populations in the wild to ensure the long-term viability of the species; and (B)includes all activities associated with protection and management of a rare felid or rare canid population, including— (i)maintenance, management, protection, and restoration of rare felid or rare canid habitat; (ii)research and monitoring; (iii)law enforcement; (iv)community outreach and education; (v)conflict resolution initiatives; and (vi)strengthening the capacity of local communities, governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations and other institutions to implement conservation programs. (3)

Fund

The term Fund means the Great Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Fund established by section 5. (4)

IUCN Red List

The term IUCN Red List means the Red List of Threatened Species Maintained by the World Conservation Union. (5)

Rare canid

The term rare canid— (A)except as provided in subparagraph (B), means any of the canid species dhole (Cuon alpinus), gray wolf (Canis lupus), Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), bush dog (Speothos venaticus), African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), and Darwin's fox, (Pseudalopex fulvipes), including any subspecies or population of such a species; and (B)does not include any subspecies or population that is native to the area comprised of the United States and Canada or the European Union. (6)

Rare felid

The term rare felid— (A)except as provided in subparagraph (B), means any of the felid species lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus), jaguar (Panthera onca), snow leopard (Uncia uncia), clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), Iberian lynx (Lynx pardina), and Borneo bay cat (Catopuma badia), including any subspecies or population of such a species; and (B)does not include— (i)any species, subspecies, or population that is native to the United States; and (ii)any tiger (Panthera tigris). (7)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.

Financial assistance

(a)

In General

Subject to the availability of funds and in consultation with other appropriate Federal officials, the Secretary shall use amounts in the Fund to provide financial assistance for projects for the conservation of rare felid and rare canids for which project proposals are approved by the Secretary in accordance with this section. (b)

Project Proposals

(1)

Eligible applicants

A proposal for a project for the conservation of rare felid and canids may be submitted to the Secretary by— (A)any wildlife management authority of a country that has within its boundaries any part of the range of a rare felid or rare canid species, respectively; and (B)any person or group with the demonstrated expertise required for the conservation in the wild of rare felids or rare canids, respectively. (2)

Project proposals

To be considered for financial assistance for a project under this Act, an applicant shall submit a project proposal that includes— (A)a concise statement of the purposes of the project; (B)the name of the individual responsible for conducting the project; (C)a description of the qualifications of the individuals who will conduct the project; (D)a concise description of— (i)methods for project implementation and outcome assessment; (ii)staffing for the project; (iii)the logistics of the project; and (iv)community involvement in the project; (E)an estimate of funds and time required to complete the project; (F)evidence of support for the project by appropriate governmental entities of the countries in which the project will be conducted, if the Secretary determines that such support is required for the success of the project; (G)information regarding the source and amount of matching funding available for the project; and (H)any other information that the Secretary considers to be necessary for evaluating the eligibility of the project for funding under this Act. (c)

Project Review and Approval

(1)

In general

The Secretary shall— (A)not later than 30 days after receiving a project proposal, provide a copy of the proposal to the appropriate Federal officials; and (B)review each project proposal in a timely manner to determine if the proposal meets the criteria specified in subsection (d). (2)

Consultation; approval or disapproval

Not later than 180 days after receiving a project proposal, and subject to the availability of funds, the Secretary, after consulting with other appropriate Federal officials, shall— (A)ensure the proposal contains assurances that the project will be implemented in consultation with relevant wildlife management authorities and other appropriate government officials with jurisdiction over the resources addressed by the project; (B)approve or disapprove the proposal; and (C)provide written notification of the approval or disapproval to the person who submitted the proposal, other appropriate Federal officials, and each country within whose borders the project will take place. (d)

Criteria for Approval

The Secretary may approve a project proposal under this section if the project will contribute to conservation of rare felids or rare canids in the wild by assisting efforts to— (1)implement conservation programs; (2)address the conflicts between humans and rare felids or rare canids, respectively, that arise from competition for the same habitat or resources; (3)enhance compliance with CITES, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and other applicable laws that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of rare felids and rare canids or regulate the use and management of rare felid and rare canid habitat; (4)develop sound scientific information on, or methods for monitoring— (A)the condition and health of rare felid or rare canid habitat; (B)rare felid or rare canid population numbers and trends; and (C)the ecological characteristics and requirements of populations of rare felids or rare canids for which there are little or no data; (5)promote cooperative projects among government entities, affected local communities, nongovernmental organizations, and other persons in the private sector; or (6)funds will not be appropriated for the purchase or lease of lands to be used as suitable habitat for felids or canids. (e)

Project Sustainability

In approving project proposals under this section, the Secretary shall give preference to conservation projects that are designed to ensure effective, long-term conservation of rare felids and rare canids and their habitats. (f)

Matching Funds

In determining whether to approve project proposals under this section, the Secretary shall give preference to projects for which there exists some measure of matching funds. (g)

Project Reporting

(1)

In general

Each person that receives assistance under this section for a project shall submit to the Secretary periodic reports (at such intervals as the Secretary considers necessary) that include all information that the Secretary, after consultation with other appropriate government officials, determines is necessary to evaluate the progress and success of the project for the purposes of ensuring positive results, assessing problems, and fostering improvements. (2)

Availability to the public

Reports under paragraph (1), and any other documents relating to projects for which financial assistance is provided under this Act, shall be made available to the public. (h)

Limitations on Use for Captive Breeding or Display

Amounts provided as a grant under this Act— (1)may not be used for captive breeding or display of rare felids and rare canids other than captive breeding for release into the wild; and (2)may be used for captive breeding of a species for release into the wild only if no other conservation method for the species is biologically feasible. (i)

Advisory Group

(1)

In general

To assist in carrying out this Act, the Secretary may convene an advisory group consisting of individuals representing public and private organizations actively involved in the conservation of felids and canids. (2)

Public participation

(A)

Meetings

The advisory group shall— (i)ensure that each meeting of the advisory group is open to the public; and (ii)provide, at each meeting, an opportunity for interested persons to present oral or written statements concerning items on the agenda. (B)

Notice

The Secretary shall provide to the public timely notice of each meeting of the advisory group, including the meeting agenda. (C)

Minutes

Minutes of each meeting of the advisory group shall be kept by the Secretary and shall be made available to the public. (3)

Exemption from Federal Advisory Committee Act

The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the advisory group.

Great Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Fund

(a)

Establishment

There is established, in the Multinational Species Conservation Fund established in title I of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 under the heading MULTINATIONAL SPECIES CONSERVATION FUND, a separate account to be known as the Great Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Fund, consisting of— (1)amounts transferred to the Secretary of the Treasury for deposit into such account under subsection (c); and (2)amounts appropriated to such account under section 7. (b)

Expenditures From Fund

(1)

In general

Subject to paragraph (2), upon request by the Secretary, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer from the Fund to the Secretary, without further appropriation, such amounts as the Secretary determines are necessary to provide assistance under section 4. (2)

Administrative expenses

Of the amounts in the Fund available for each fiscal year, the Secretary may expend not more than three percent, or up to $100,000, whichever is greater, to pay the administrative expenses necessary to carry out this Act. (c)

Acceptance and Use of Donations

The Secretary may accept and use donations to provide assistance under section 4, and may make public on the Internet website and in publications of the Department of the Interior that the Secretary is authorized to accept and use such donations. Amounts received by the Secretary in the form of such donations shall be transferred to the Secretary of the Treasury for deposit into the Fund.

Study of conservation status of felid and canid species

(a)

In general

The Secretary shall initiate within three months after the date of the enactment of this Act a study of felid and canid species listed under the IUCN Red List that are not rare canids and rare felids (as those terms are defined in section 3), respectively, to determine— (1)the conservation status of such species in the wild, including identification of any such species that are critically endangered or endangered; and (2)any such species that should be made eligible for assistance under this Act. (b)

Report

Not later than two years after date of the enactment of this Act the Secretary shall report to the Congress the determinations made in the study, including recommendations of additional felid species and canid species that should be made eligible for assistance under this Act.

Authorization or appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated— (1)to the Fund, $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2013 to carry out this Act, other than section 6; and (2)such sums as are necessary to carry out section 6.

Ineligible countries

Amounts provided as a grant under this Act may not be spent on projects in Iran, Syria, Cuba, Sudan, and North Korea.