[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 150 (Wednesday, November 17, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S7979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  SENATE RESOLUTION 680--SUPPORTING INTERNATIONAL TIGER CONSERVATION 
 EFFORTS AND THE UPCOMING GLOBAL TIGER SUMMIT IN ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

  Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. Bingaman, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Cardin, Mr. 
Whitehouse, and Mr. Merkley) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 680

       Whereas wild tiger populations have dwindled from 
     approximately 100,000 at the beginning of the 20th century to 
     as few as 3,200 in 2010, and only approximately 1,000 wild 
     tigers are breeding females;
       Whereas tigers now occupy a mere 7 percent of the habitat 
     that tigers historically have occupied;
       Whereas poaching, illegal wildlife trade, habitat 
     conversion, depletion of prey base, conflict between humans 
     and wildlife, and other pressures continue to threaten the 
     last wild tigers;
       Whereas the remaining tiger habitat in Asia supports some 
     of the richest biodiversity and some of the poorest human 
     populations;
       Whereas the remaining tiger habitat benefits local human 
     populations by providing watersheds and buffers against 
     natural disaster and contributing to livelihoods;
       Whereas the remaining tiger habitat in Asia represents some 
     of the largest intact storehouses of terrestrial carbon on 
     Earth, containing an average of 3\1/2\ times more carbon than 
     areas outside of tiger habitat;
       Whereas the tiger, an iconic species worldwide, can act as 
     both a catalyst and a symbol for the conservation of the last 
     great forests of Asia;
       Whereas 2010, the ``Year of the Tiger'' in the Chinese 
     calendar and beyond, presents a global opportunity to commit 
     to halting the decline in tigers and to ensuring the doubling 
     of the numbers of tigers by the next ``Year of the Tiger'' in 
     2022;
       Whereas the Government of Russia is hosting the Global 
     Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, on November 22 
     through 24, 2010;
       Whereas at the Summit, all 13 countries with remaining wild 
     tiger populations are expected to commit to a Global Tiger 
     Recovery Program;
       Whereas the remaining tiger habitat is located in remote 
     transnational areas, providing an opportunity for 
     transboundary cooperation among countries with remaining wild 
     tiger populations;
       Whereas countries with remaining wild tiger populations 
     need the support and cooperation of the global community to 
     protect and restore wild tiger populations;
       Whereas the United States has been a consistent leader in 
     supporting international tiger conservation; and
       Whereas strong United States support for remaining wild 
     tiger populations, the Tiger Summit, and the Global Tiger 
     Recovery Program will be central to the success of tiger 
     conservation efforts: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals of the Tiger Summit, as such goals 
     reinforce the interests of the United States in recovering 
     tigers in accordance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
     (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the Rhinoceros and Tiger 
     Conservation Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.), and the 
     Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of 
     Wild Fauna and Flora, done at Washington March 3, 1973 (27 
     UST 1087; TIAS 8249);
       (2) supports the efforts of United States government 
     agencies to prevent poaching of tigers and to end trafficking 
     in tigers and tiger parts, including through cooperation with 
     the governments of countries with remaining wild tiger 
     populations in training, capacity building, and law 
     enforcement;
       (3) supports the efforts of the United States government to 
     protect tigers in the wild and the habitat of tigers through 
     direct conservation assistance;
       (4) acknowledges the important role that tiger habitats 
     play in conserving biodiversity, securing forest carbon, 
     protecting critical watersheds, providing buffers against 
     natural disasters, and supporting livelihoods and human well-
     being in countries with remaining wild tiger populations;
       (5) applauds the work of multilateral institutions, 
     governmental, and nongovernmental conservation and 
     environmental organizations working to recover tiger 
     populations in the wild;
       (6) commends the government of Russia for its leadership in 
     hosting the Tiger Summit, which brings global attention to 
     this important issue and launches the immediate 
     implementation of National Tiger Recovery Priorities in the 
     each of the 13 countries with remaining wild tiger 
     populations;
       (7) reaffirms the commitment of the United States 
     government to tiger conservation;
       (8) encourages the highest level of United States 
     engagement in the Tiger Summit and in the outcomes of the 
     Tiger Summit, including the provision of support to countries 
     with remaining wild tiger populations in implementing the 
     National Tiger Recovery Priorities and the Global Tiger 
     Recovery Program; and
       (9) urges concerted coordination among all relevant United 
     States agencies to provide support to countries with 
     remaining wild tiger populations in a manner that enables 
     United States resources to provide maximum conservation 
     benefits.

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