[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 420 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 420

         Designating March 3, 2018, as ``World Wildlife Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 1, 2018

    Mr. Coons (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
         Designating March 3, 2018, as ``World Wildlife Day''.

Whereas wildlife has provided numerous economic, environmental, social, and 
        cultural benefits during the course of human history and wildlife 
        conservation will secure those gifts for future generations;
Whereas plant and animal species play an important role in the stability of 
        diverse ecosystems around the world and the conservation of that 
        biodiversity is critical to maintain the delicate balance of nature and 
        keep complex ecosystems thriving;
Whereas observation of wild plants and animals in their natural habitat provides 
        individuals with a more enriching worldview and a greater appreciation 
        of the wonders of the natural environment;
Whereas tens of millions of individuals in the United States strongly support 
        the conservation of wildlife, both domestically and abroad, and wish to 
        ensure the survival of species in the wild, such as rhinoceroses, 
        tigers, elephants, pangolins, turtles, seahorses, sharks, ginseng, 
        mahogany, and cacti;
Whereas the trafficking of wildlife, including timber and fish, comprises the 
        fourth largest global illegal trade after narcotics, the counterfeiting 
        of products and currency, and human trafficking and has become a major 
        transnational organized crime with an estimated worth of as much as 
        $19,000,000,000 annually;
Whereas increased demand in Asia for high-value illegal wildlife products, 
        particularly elephant ivory and rhinoceros horns, has triggered 
        substantial and rapid increases in poaching of those species;
Whereas the trafficking of wildlife is a primary threat to many wildlife 
        species, including elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, pangolins, and 
        sharks;
Whereas many different kinds of criminals, including some terrorist entities and 
        rogue security personnel, often in collusion with corrupt government 
        officials, are involved in wildlife poaching and the movement of ivory 
        and rhinoceros horns across Africa;
Whereas wildlife poaching presents significant security and stability challenges 
        for military and police forces in African nations that are often 
        threatened by heavily armed poachers and the criminal, extremist allies 
        of those poachers;
Whereas wildlife poaching negatively impacts local communities that rely on 
        natural resources for economic development, including through tourism;
Whereas penal and financial deterrents can improve the ability of governments to 
        reduce poaching and trafficking and enhance the capabilities of those 
        governments in managing resources;
Whereas assisting institutions in developing nations, including by providing 
        material, training, legal, and diplomatic support, can reduce illegal 
        wildlife trade;
Whereas wildlife provides a multitude of benefits to all nations and wildlife 
        crime has wide-ranging economic, environmental, and social impacts;
Whereas the African Elephant Status Report 2016 issued by the International 
        Union for Conservation of Nature revealed that the elephant population 
        of Africa has recently seen a dramatic decline, mainly due to poaching 
        during the 10 years preceding the issuance of the report, and the 
        continental population is now thought to be 415,428;
Whereas the estimated African elephant population decreased by approximately 
        93,000 between 2006 and 2015, despite the inclusion of approximately 
        18,000 elephants that were previously uncounted, making the actual 
        decline closer to 111,000;
Whereas, from 2007 to 2012, the number of elephants killed in Kenya increased by 
        more than 800 percent, from 47 to 387 elephants killed;
Whereas, between 2002 and 2013, as a result of poaching, about 65 percent of the 
        forest elephant population was killed and that species lost 30 percent 
        of its geographical range;
Whereas World Wildlife Fund elephant surveys conducted between 2014 and 2016 and 
        covering 6,000,000 hectares confirmed this catastrophic trend, 
        documenting losses of 66 percent of the remaining elephants between 2008 
        and 2016, placing forest elephants on track for extinction in the next 
        decade;
Whereas fewer than 50,000 wild Asian elephants remain and poaching of these 
        populations is on the rise, with an average of 1 elephant poached every 
        week in Burma, driven by demand for elephant skin products;
Whereas the number of rhinoceroses killed by poachers in South Africa--

    (1) dramatically increased from 13 in 2007 to 1,215 in 2014, an 
increase of more than 9,000 percent; and

    (2) was 1,028 in 2017;

Whereas the 3 species of Asian rhinoceroses also remain under constant threat of 
        poaching, with a greater 1-horned rhinoceros poached in Kaziranga 
        National Park in India as recently as January 2018;
Whereas pangolins are often referred to as the most trafficked mammal in the 
        world;
Whereas all 8 pangolin species spanning Africa and Asia are faced with 
        extinction because pangolin scales are sought after in the practice of 
        traditional Chinese medicine and pangolin meat is considered a delicacy;
Whereas approximately 100,000,000 sharks are killed annually, often targeted 
        solely for their fins, and unsustainable trade is the primary cause of 
        serious population decline in several shark species, including scalloped 
        hammerhead sharks, great hammerhead sharks, and oceanic whitetip sharks;
Whereas the vaquita porpoise of Mexico, with fewer than 30 individual porpoises 
        remaining, is being driven to extinction through bycatch in gillnets set 
        for the totoaba fish, the swim bladder of which feeds a lucrative 
        illegal trade through the United States to Asia;
Whereas tiger populations have plummeted by 95 percent over the last 100 years 
        and African lion populations have declined by 40 percent over the last 
        20 years;
Whereas fewer than 4,000 tigers remain in the wild throughout all of Asia;
Whereas there are more than 7,000 tigers in farms in China, Laos, Thailand, and 
        Vietnam, which continues to stoke demand for illegal tiger products and 
        contributes to 30 percent of illegal trading with respect to that 
        animal;
Whereas the United States is developing and implementing measures to address the 
        criminal, financial, security, and environmental aspects of wildlife 
        trafficking;
Whereas Congress has allocated specific resources to combat wildlife trafficking 
        and address the threats posed by poaching and the illegal wildlife 
        trade;
Whereas Congress recently passed the Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt Wildlife 
        Trafficking Act of 2016 (16 U.S.C. 7601 et seq.) to strengthen the 
        response of the United States to the global wildlife trafficking crisis;
Whereas, in December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 
        3 as World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the wild 
        fauna and flora around the world;
Whereas March 3, 2018, represents the fifth annual celebration of World Wildlife 
        Day;
Whereas, in 2018, the theme of World Wildlife Day is ``Big cats: predators under 
        threat''; and
Whereas, in 2018, World Wildlife Day commemorations will raise awareness about 
        the plight of big cats and galvanize support for the many global and 
        national actions that are underway to save those iconic species: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates March 3, 2018, as ``World Wildlife Day'';
            (2) supports raising awareness of the benefits that 
        wildlife provides to people and the threats facing wildlife 
        around the world;
            (3) supports escalating the fight against wildlife crime, 
        including wildlife trafficking;
            (4) applauds the domestic and international efforts to 
        escalate the fight against wildlife crime;
            (5) commends the efforts of the United States to mobilize 
        the entire Federal Government in a coordinated, efficient, and 
        effective manner for dramatic progress in the fight against 
        wildlife crime; and
            (6) encourages continued cooperation between the United 
        States, international partners, local communities, nonprofit 
        organizations, private industry, and other partner 
        organizations in an effort to conserve and celebrate wildlife, 
        preserving this precious resource for future generations.
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