Spain, of course, explored virtually all of the U.S. seaboard except Alaska, plus large areas of the Southwst, and established the earliest European settlements. We can learn about those aspects of our past through cooperative study of Spanish achives. Because of its longstanding commitment, the U.S. has incorporated international conservation into "domestic" legislation, particularly that dealing with wildlife. The Lacey Act imposes U.S. penalties for importing wildlife taken in violation of foreign law. The Endangered Species Act provides for the listing of foreign species (indeed, 57% of all listed species are foreign) and for assistance to other countries to conserve them. On the other side of the coin, Congress has increasingly incorporated conservation into foreign policy, especially development assistance. Since 1977, the Foreign Assistance Act has been amended several times to increase efforts by the U.S. Agency for International Development to conserve tropical forests and other threatened biomes and biological diversity more broadly. Additional amendments are pending before this Congress. We support these steps. The principal expertise, however, resides in the Department of Interior. In 1983, Congress recognized this in adopting the International Environmental Protection Act, which mandated, inter alia, preparation of a report by the Departments of Interior and State on steps necessary to conserve wildlife abroad. This report, entitled Conserving International Wildlife Resources: The United States Response, receives our enthusiastic endorsement. We hope for prompt implementation of its recommendations. I would add that in adopting the International Environmental Protection Act, the Conference Committee praised the programs of the NPS and FWS and urged the responsible committees to ensure that these agencies receive adequate resources to continue their work. The FWS and NPS are just completing a report specifically on projects they have undertaken in Latin America under the Western Hemisphere Convention. The report indicates how much can be done with very little money. It is also a warning of how necessary such seed money is. The longer list of accomplishments by the FWS compared to NPS is the direct result of FWS having an appropriation while NPS has none. This illustrates the major problem. These agencies do not lack authority to help promote conservation abroad. They lack resources - funds and, to a lesser extent, staff. This is especially true for the National Park Service of what NPS Director Mott, quoting Wallace Stegner, has called America's best idea. the caretakers These agencies must receive additional resources if they are to help save rapidly declining wildlife and wildlands of the world. One source of funds would be reimbursements by foreign government agencies and international organizations which wish to utilize our agencies' expertise. At present, the NPS and FWS lack statutory authority to accept such reimbursements or advance payments; each offer must be handled individually with resulting delay. We suggest that the Subcommittee on Public Lands initiate legislation to grant such authority to these agencies. Many of the countries where wildlife and wildlands are under the gravest threat, however, cannot afford to reimburse the FWS or NPS for technical assistance. For the services to contribute to worldwide conservation efforts, they must have line-item appropriations. FWS now has such an appropriation (of $260,000) for work in Latin America; it needs similar funds for projects in Africa and Asia. The NPS must obtain funds for operations in all regions of the world. Both agencies also must cover their dues to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, which now run to about $5,000 apiece. Therefore, we urge the Subcommittee to recommend to the Budget and Appropriations committees appropriations of $1 million each for the NPS and FWS for technical assistance programs under the authority of the several treaties, statutes, executive orders and agreements that we have earlier enumerated. The task of conserving the Earth's wildlife and wildlands is massive, complex, and depends for success on close collaboration with all parties involved. The U.S. should act -- but not alone. Coordination of nature conservation efforts around the world is done by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources -- IUCN. ICUN is a membership organization, made up of 58 nations, 123 government agencies (including FWS, NPS, the Forest Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and 350 non-governmental organizations. IUCN relies on a world-wide network of volunteers, scientists expert in conservation. staff in its headquarters in Switzerland. It has a small IUCN, in cooperation with World Wildlife Fund, identifies high-priority conservation needs such as threatened biomes (e.g., tropical forests, islands) and species (e.g., black rhinoceros). It then outlines what actions should be taken. IUCN also is building up the best, computerized, database on conservation issues. Therefore, the U.S. should make a voluntary contribution to the IUCN's budget, above and beyond dues, to help carry out the essential work of compiling information, determining priorities, and outlining concerted action plans. NRDC suggests an annual contribution of $150,000 as an appropriate, though modest, beginning. It would greatly help international conservation. would also be commensurate with present U.S. contributions to the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the It counterpart international organization in the cultural realm. The contribution would be justified by IUCN's role as official advisor for World Heritage Convention, a status it shares with ICOMOS. Thank you for considering our views on the international activities of the Interior Department and related agencies. We strongly support these programs and look forward to working with the members of the Subcommittee on Public Lands to improve them. STATEMENT BY CAMERON H. SANDERS, JR., CONSULTANT TO THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES (IUCN), BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON PUBLIC LANDS, COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS, UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 8, 1985 International conservation action by and through IUCN links - a concerted worldwide effort to identify pressing conservation and renewable resource problems and to work toward their solution in all major areas of the globe. CONSERVATION IS FOR PEOPLE The basic principle of saving some of today's resources for tomorrow is understood everywhere. No one has to tell a farmer not to cut down a fruit tree for firewood. Similarly, people worldwide are coming to realize that natural resources must be much more carefully managed if they are to support the The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), founded in 1948, was established by conservation-minded governmental and non-governmental organizations around the world to provide independent international leadership for promoting effective conservation of nature and natural resources. IUCN believes that improved management of natural resources must be based on a firm foundation of science, policy, and legislation, and that a productive, healthy natural world is our ultimate security. IUCN, working with the United Nations Environmental Program and the World Wildlife Fund, and with the guidance of FAO and UNESCO, produced in 1980 the World Conservation Strategy, to serve as a philosophical -- and practical approach which focuses on the necessary interrelationship of conservation and development goals if these are to be achieved. The major objectives of conservation, as reflected in the World Conservation Strategy, are: to maintain essential ecological processes to preserve genetic, i.e., biological, diversity and to ensure that any utilization of species and ecosystems is sustainable. The Strategy defines conservation as "the management of human use of the biosphere so that it may yield the greatest sustainable benefit to present generations while maintaining its potential to meet needs and aspirations of future generations." This human orientation to conservation has given IUCN a special credibility with governments in developing countries that are facing increasing resource-population conflicts. IUCN'S MEMBERSHIP NETWORK The Through its members, IUCN incorporates and represents the conservation concerns of the majority of mankind. Union has over 500 members, from 116 countries, including: 58 State Members, 123 Government Agency Members, and 350 Non-Governmental Conservation Organization and other institutional Members. From the United States, IUCN has |