[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 189 (Tuesday, December 11, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2537]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


INTRODUCTION OF THE WILDLIFE WITHOUT BORDERS AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007: 
                           DECEMBER 11, 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DON YOUNG

                               of alaska

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2007

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to introduce today 
the Wildlife Without Borders Authorization Act.
  The Wildlife Without Borders Program was created administratively by 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1983. The mission of this program 
is to develop wildlife management and conservation efforts to maintain 
global species diversity.
  While the Congress has already created Multinational Species 
Conservation Funds to assist highly imperiled African and Asian 
elephants, Rhinoceros and Tigers, Great Apes and Marine Turtles, this 
program has provided a funding lifeline to a number of additional 
endangered species that are not currently eligible for funding, are not 
considered a megafauna or a flagship species and frankly lack the 
public attention necessary to generate private financial assistance.
  The first conservation grants issued under this program were awarded 
to the Wildlife Without Borders Program for Latin America and the 
Caribbean Initiative. Since that time, additional grants have been 
allocated for projects in Mexico, India, China and the Russian 
Federation. In fact, in the past two decades, the International Affairs 
Office within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved 583 
conservation projects at a cost of $13 million in taxpayer money. These 
funds have been matched by $43.7 million in private non-federal money 
which is a remarkable 3 to 1 matching ratio.
  Among the conservation projects that have been approved are funds for 
the Winged Ambassadors Program to stop the killing of Swainsons' hawks, 
a project to restore and conserve the forest habitat for monarch 
butterflies, jaguar conservation in the Yucatan region, the restoration 
of the California condor in Baja California, Mexico and the purchase of 
essential equipment for law enforcement personnel to protect imperiled 
Far Eastern leopards, Amur tigers and snow leopards.
  A fundamental goal of this program has been to build conservation 
capacity and establish ecosystem management regimes by allocating a 
small amount of U.S. taxpayer money. It is no exaggeration to state 
that these are the only funds available to assist these highly 
endangered international species and without this investment these 
species may become extinct in the wild. In addition, this program has 
complemented the activities of the Multinational Species Conservation 
Funds.
  By establishing a Congressional authorization for the Wildlife 
Without Borders Program we will send a positive message to the 
international community that the United States is committed to its 
international wildlife treaty obligations and we recognize the long-
term importance of this program by enacting it into law.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important conservation 
legislation and want to thank my distinguished colleague from New 
Jersey, Congressman Jim Saxton for joining with me in this effort.

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