IV 111th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1308 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 29, 2010 Ms. Bordallo (for herself, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mrs. Christensen, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Shea-Porter, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Pierluisi, and Mr. Tanner) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of the International Year of Biodiversity, and for other purposes.

Whereas biodiversity is the term commonly used by scientists to describe the variety of plant and animal life on Earth, the places they inhabit, and the interactions between them; Whereas 1,750,000 species of plants and animals on Earth have been identified, and ecologists conservatively estimate that 13,000,000 species may exist; Whereas the biodiversity of species, genes, and habitats helps increase the capability of Earth’s terrestrial and marine ecosystems to be resilient in the face of a dynamic environment; Whereas human well-being is inextricably linked with biodiversity, which provides essential ecological goods and services including clean water, clean air, food production, pest control, energy creation, pharmaceuticals and medicinal goods, recreation, and cultural identity; Whereas nearly a sixth of the world’s human population depends on terrestrial or marine protected areas for a significant percent of their livelihoods and 70 percent of the world’s poorest people live in rural areas dependent directly on biodiversity for their survival and well-being; Whereas over 1,000,000,000 people live in poverty in urban areas and depend on the ecosystem goods and services imported from areas of biodiversity; Whereas many small island nations and territories are dependent on local biodiversity, which is particularly vulnerable to ocean warming, ocean acidification, and sea level rise; Whereas genetic biodiversity is important for global food security through harvested wildlife, fish, and plants, crops, livestock, and aquaculture species that can adapt to change; Whereas scientists estimate that 60 percent of ecosystem services, which are supported by biodiversity, have been degraded globally in the last 50 years with a cost of $500,000,000,000 for lost ecological services on land in the last ten years alone; Whereas the greatest threats to biodiversity are habitat loss through land conversion and fragmentation, introduction of invasive species, exploitation of natural resources, and pollution; Whereas the present rate of human-caused species extinction is estimated by paleontologists to be 1,000 times more rapid than the natural rate of extinction typical of Earth’s long-term geologic history, and the majority of recorded species extinctions over the last 500 years have occurred on islands; Whereas of the world’s original habitats we have lost 35 percent of mangroves, 40 percent of forests, 50 percent of wetlands, and 20 percent of coral reefs globally due to human actions, with 70 percent of the remaining coral reefs threatened; Whereas the tropical South Pacific contains the highest proportion of threatened species in the world with an estimated 75 percent of total bird and mammal extinctions having occurred in that region; Whereas the United States has had a longstanding commitment to the preservation and conservation of the Earth’s biodiversity, as demonstrated through the passage and implementation of numerous laws, including the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.), the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 4401 et seq.), various Acts providing for the conservation of particular species (16 U.S.C. 4201 et seq., 16 U.S.C. 4261 et seq., 16 U.S.C. 5301 et seq., 16 U.S.C. 6301 et seq., and 16 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.), the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.), the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.), and other statutes; Whereas the United States has demonstrated international leadership to protect and preserve biodiversity through its participation and leadership under a variety of global and regional conventions, treaties, and agreements that protect biodiversity, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, and other international treaties, conventions, and accords; and Whereas the United Nations has declared 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity as a celebration of life on Earth and of the value of biodiversity in our lives: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)supports the goals and ideals of the International Year of Biodiversity, as it reinforces the United States’ interests in protecting and preserving threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); (2)acknowledges the importance of biodiversity to human well-being, the environment, and the ecosystems and wildlife resources therein; (3)recognizes the persistent threats that undermine biodiversity, require the United States to remain diligent in its participation under numerous regional, national, and international conservation strategies, plans, and agreements, and encourages complementary actions on the State and local levels to address these threats through wildlife and wildlife habitat conservation strategies, plans, and agreements; (4)reaffirms the United States commitment to the preservation of global biodiversity, especially through its leadership and participation under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; and (5)applauds the work of governmental and nongovernmental conservation and environmental organizations working to promote public awareness concerning the need to preserve, conserve, and protect wildlife and wildlife habitats that comprise biodiversity.