Hi everyone,
At a conference a couple years ago, I came across a series of annual
reports on total US foreign aid dollars distributed for biodiversity
conservation. There were at least two of them in subsequent years (I
can't recall which years, but fairly recent), and they were glossy
color format with $ amounts distributed according to legislative act
(e.g., African Elephant & Rhino Act). Unfortunately, there were no
extra copies for me to dump in my bag, and I can't recall which
organization produced them (maybe TNC, WCS, WWF?). Any help tracking
those reports down would be much appreciated.
My memory of these reports came up after reading the news story below, FYI.
Many thanks in advance,
-Charlie
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<http://www.eedaily.com>
An E&E Publishing Service
WILDLIFE: Panel plans quick action on bills boosting int'l
conservation funds (Wednesday, May 6, 2009)
Allison Winter, E&E reporter
The Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee plans to move quickly on three
bills that would beef up conservation programs for international
wildlife and California sea otters, subcommittee Chairwoman Madeleine
Bordallo (D-Guam) said yesterday.
Lawmakers, Obama administration officials and conservation experts
spoke in favor of the three bills at a hearing yesterday. The
legislative proposals would require the Fish and Wildlife Service to
recover southern sea otters, reauthorize a fund to benefit marine
turtles and give more cash to international species conservation
through creation of a new postage stamp.
Bordallo said in an interview after the hearing that she would like
to expedite passage of all three bills. "We'd like to move them
forward as quickly as possible," she said.
Subcommittee ranking member Henry Brown (R-S.C.) introduced the two
international species conservation bills, which include a proposal to
create a new revenue stream for international wildlife conservation
projects through a special postage stamp. The bill,
<http://www.eenews.net/features/bills/111/House/010509195954.pdf>H.R.
1454, has broad support in Congress with 50 co-sponsors, and wildlife
experts praised the measure yesterday.
The bill orders the U.S. Postal Service to issue a special stamp to
benefit the Fish and Wildlife Service's Multinational Species
Conservation Fund. Purchasers would pay a premium of at least 25
percent more for the first-class stamp, and the extra money would go
toward conservation projects. The stamp, which would depict images of
wildlife, would be available for at least five years.
Wildlife experts said the new stamp could create a significant new
revenue stream for the program -- which has received $57 million from
Congress to date and raised another $140 million in matching and
in-kind contributions. The Postal Service's best-selling benefit
stamp is the breast cancer research stamp, which has raised $66
million for breast cancer since 1998. Animal advocates are hopeful
they could see similar or even better revenues, given the appeal of
wildlife images.
"With interest and popularity here and internationally, we are
confident wildlife stamps do sell extremely well," said Ginette
Hemley of the World Wildlife Fund.
The bill directs money to a relatively small program within the Fish
and Wildlife Service, the Multinational Species Conservation Fund.
Bordallo wants to consider whether it might be better to direct the
funding to the FWS's "Wildlife Without Borders" program, which
oversees a variety of international conservation projects, including
the multinational species fund.
Acting Fish and Wildlife Service Director Rowan Gould, who endorsed
the bill, said he would prefer to direct the funds into his larger
Wildlife Without Borders program. Other witnesses raised no
objections to the possible changes but also voiced support for
focusing the stamp on the multinational species fund.
Bordallo said after the hearing that she has made no decision on the
possible changes.
The Multinational Species Fund benefits tigers, the six species of
rhinoceroses, Asian and African elephants, great apes and marine
turtles. It funds various conservation projects worldwide, often in
conjunction with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species. It has financed more than 1,300 conservation grants in 75
countries, according to FWS.
Bordallo and Brown also hope to advance a bill that would extend a
program directing the Interior Department to use some of the
multinational species funds for marine turtles. All of the remaining
marine turtle species are listed under the Endangered Species Act or
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora.
The bill,
<http://www.eenews.net/features/bills/111/House/010509163828.pdf>H.R.
509, is a straight reauthorization of the previous act, which expires
this year. Brown's proposal would extend programs another five years
without making any other changes.
Marine experts recommended expanding the legislation to also include
freshwater turtles and tortoises -- a proposal Bordallo said she
would take under advisement.
Sea otters
The acting head of FWS also backed a bill that would place
significant new requirements on his agency to conduct an extensive
recovery program for sea otters along the California coast.
Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) has been trying to advance the sea otter
bill,
<http://www.eenews.net/features/bills/111/House/010509164232.pdf>H.R.
556, for six years. It would codify federal sea otter recovery teams,
require FWS to carry out a research and recovery program, and direct
the agency to find ways to reduce or eliminate factors that might be
limiting the population growth of sea otters.
FWS's Gould said that without extra money, implementing the
legislation could strain the agency's budget and its efforts to
protect other imperilled species in California. But he said his
agency supports the intent of the bill, and when prodded by Bordallo
admitted the legislation may be needed.
"Yes, this bill is warranted," Gould told the panel.
The bill directs FWS to award competitive grants for research on
southern sea otters. A scientific advisory committee would award the
grants. Scientists monitoring the endangered southern sea otters say
the research is needed because they are recovering at a much slower
rate than otters from the northern part of California.
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--- end forwarded text
____________________
Charles C. Chester, Ph.D.
9 Lowell Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
wk 617.304.9373 fx 617.245.4613
<http://www.ccc-clearinghouse.net>The Conservation & Climate Change
Clearinghouse
<http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/environmental>Brandeis -
<http://www.y2y.net>Y2Y - <http://www.rootcapital.org/>Root Capital
<http://www.islandpress.org/bookstore/details.php?prod_id=673>Conservation
Across Borders -
<http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=11250>Peace
Parks
<http://fletcher.tufts.edu/biodiversity>Biodiversity Links @
<http://fletcher.tufts.edu/ierp>The Fletcher School
