[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 72 (Thursday, May 26, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1114]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE GREAT APE CONSERVATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 26, 2005

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, today, with my 
colleague from Washington, Mr. Baird, I am introducing the Great Ape 
Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2005. In the 5 years since its 
enactment, the Act has helped protect threatened primates, including 
chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, and gibbons. This 
reauthorization is needed to continue progress in this important field.
  The funds provided by the Great Ape Conservation Act have gone to 
such diverse projects as: protecting chimpanzee habitat from logging 
operations; establishing anti-poaching enforcement units; starting 
conservation education programs; coordinating gibbon population surveys 
and threat assessments; and implementing ape health monitoring 
programs.
  And every federal dollar spent under the Great Ape Conservation Act 
has been matched many times over by local and international funds. The 
$2,940,000 Congress appropriated between FY 2001 and FY 2003 was 
leveraged by $4,275,032 in non-Federal matching funds or in-kind 
contributions.
  To take just one example, in 2003 the Fish and Wildlife Service 
invested $45,000 in the Mengame Reserve for Chimpanzees and Gorillas; 
this investment leveraged more than $100,000 from other sources, 
funding which has helped the Jane Goodall Institute study a promising 
area for great ape conservation on the border of Cameroon and Gabon.
  But despite the ongoing successes of the Act, the threats to these 
noble primates continue.
  Press accounts and reports from the field indicate that these species 
continue to be placed in jeopardy by habitat loss, poaching, logging, 
and the bush meat trade. The Great Ape Conservation Reauthorization Act 
of 2005 specifically authorizes funding to address these root causes of 
threats to great apes.
  In addition, natural disasters and their aftermath can have a 
devastating impact on wildlife. Efforts to rebuild after the 2004 
tsunami have led to increased logging, putting further pressure on 
already-threatened orangutans and other forest species. That is why the 
legislation we are introducing today authorizes funding to address 
critical great ape conservation needs in Aceh Province, Indonesia.
  The Great Ape Conservation Reauthorization Act extends the program's 
authorization through the year 2010. The contributions of the Great Ape 
Conservation Act have been very important, but there is much work yet 
to be done.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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