Expressing the need for the Federal Government to establish a National Biodiversity Strategy for protecting biodiversity for current and future generations.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1247 Expressing the need for the Federal Government to establish a National Biodiversity Strategy for protecting biodiversity for current and future generations. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DECEMBER 2, 2020 Mr. NEGUSE (for himself, Mr. LOWENTHAL, and Mr. HUFFMAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources RESOLUTION Expressing the need for the Federal Government to establish a National Biodiversity Strategy for protecting biodiver- sity for current and future generations. Whereas the planet is facing an unprecedented biodiversity crisis, largely driven by human activity; Whereas recent scientific studies have confirmed human-driv- en activities are significantly damaging the Earth’s eco- systems by— (1) altering 75 percent of the area of terrestrial en- vironments and 66 percent of marine environments; (2) directly exploiting wildlife and plant species; (3) accelerating climate change, directly harming na- ture and exacerbating other threats; (4) polluting air, land, and water; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:35 Dec 03, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1247.IH HR1247 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1247 IH (5) introducing invasive species; Whereas these studies have shown that human-driven threats have harmed biodiversity by— (1) threatening approximately one million species with extinction now and in the coming decades, includ- ing— (A) over 40 percent of amphibians; (B) 33 percent of corals, sharks, shark rel- atives, and marine mammals; (C) over 60 percent of cycads and over 30 per- cent of conifer trees; and (D) about 10 percent of over 5 million insect species; and (2) causing population sizes of wild species to de- cline by— (A) an average of 68 percent for mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles; (B) nearly 3 billion birds in North America since 1970; (C) about 50 percent for live corals; and (D) an average of over 20 percent overall; Whereas human activity is accelerating the decline of impor- tant economic and cultural services, with— (1) the productivity of nearly one-fourth of the land surface reduced; (2) over one-third of land surface and 75 percent of freshwater resources devoted to crop or livestock produc- tion; (3) about half a trillion dollars of global crops at risk from pollinator loss; VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:35 Dec 03, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1247.IH HR1247 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1247 IH (4) one-third of marine fisheries overfished, 60 per- cent fished at capacity, and just 7 percent fished below capacity; and (5) 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions caused by land clearing, crops, and fertilization; Whereas the decline of biodiversity disproportionately impacts indigenous and other communities that rely on nature for essential services, including Native Americans and Alaska Natives who offer unique perspectives and traditional eco- logical knowledge critical to preserving biodiversity; Whereas the decline of biodiversity and ecosystem services ob- served worldwide is occurring in the United States; Whereas the United States possesses an abundance and great diversity of species of fish, wildlife, and plants that are of significant value to the United States for aesthetic, ec- ological, educational, cultural, recreational, economic, and scientific reasons; Whereas the decline of biodiversity presents a direct threat to the security, health, and well-being of the people of the United States by causing economic harm through the loss of valuable ecosystem services such as zoonotic disease buffering, pollination, water filtration, soil replenishment, the provision of game species, medicinal products, rec- reational opportunities, and others; Whereas communities of color, low-income communities, Trib- al communities, and other populations that have been systematically and deliberately targeted for siting envi- ronmentally degrading activities, and excluded from con- servation efforts, face disproportionate impacts from bio- diversity loss; VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:35 Dec 03, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1247.IH HR1247 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 1247 IH Whereas Federal agencies are tasked with protecting and conserving biodiversity in the United States and world- wide through a variety of legal and policy channels; Whereas there is no coordinating policy to maximize the ef- fectiveness of the Federal Government’s conservation ef- forts and collaboration with the States, local govern- ments, Tribes, private landowners, and other nongovern- mental stakeholders; Whereas the United States should play a leading role on the international stage in addressing the biodiversity crisis; yet the United States— (1) is not a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity; (2) does not issue a national biodiversity outlook, contrary to most other nations; and (3) does not have a National Biodiversity Strategy as part of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services; and Whereas scientific research highlights essential pathways for- ward, including— (1) establishing protected areas networks encom- passing at least 30 percent of the environment by 2030 for biodiversity and climate; (2) restoring degraded habitats and ensuring connectivity of protected areas; (3) reducing pesticide use to levels no higher than needed for maintaining food production; and (4) addressing the threats posed by invasive species: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep- 1 resentatives that— 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:35 Dec 03, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1247.IH HR1247 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 1247 IH (1) it is in the national interest for the Federal 1 Government to establish a National Biodiversity 2 Strategy to— 3 (A) ensure the conservation of the Nation’s 4 biodiversity; 5 (B) secure and restore the ecosystem serv- 6 ices provided by nature for current and future 7 generations; 8 (C) set ambitious yet necessary goals for 9 protecting biodiversity in the coming decades; 10 (D) promote social equity and justice in 11 the conservation of the Nation’s biodiversity; 12 (E) coordinate the actions of Federal agen- 13 cies to advance the conservation of biodiversity; 14 (F) promote collaboration among the Fed- 15 eral, State, and Tribal governments and non- 16 governmental stakeholders to advance conserva- 17 tion; 18 (G) honor the Federal trust obligations to 19 Tribal nations and Native Americans; and 20 (H) provide global leadership in addressing 21 the biodiversity crisis; and 22 (2) the National Biodiversity Strategy should 23 include direction on— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:35 Dec 03, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1247.IH HR1247 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HRES 1247 IH (A) setting a national goal of protecting at 1 least 30 percent of United States lands and wa- 2 ters to conserve biodiversity and address cli- 3 mate change by 2030 and other goals necessary 4 to reduce the threats to biodiversity as indi- 5 cated by the best available scientific informa- 6 tion; 7 (B) affirming the need to protect threat- 8 ened, endangered, and at-risk species from fur- 9 ther imperilment or extinction; 10 (C) climate adaptation and mitigation 11 strategies for biodiversity conservation, includ- 12 ing— 13 (i) joining and leading international 14 agreements to combat climate change, such 15 as the Paris Agreement; 16 (ii) establishing climate refugia and 17 climate corridors for conservation of spe- 18 cies affected by climate change; and 19 (iii) the rapid build-out of renewable 20 energy; 21 (D) reviewing existing laws, plans, pro- 22 grams, and strategies that are relevant to ad- 23 dressing threats to biodiversity to assess how 24 they can contribute to the objectives of this res- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:35 Dec 03, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1247.IH HR1247 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HRES 1247 IH olution and, as found necessary, to recommend 1 new laws, plans, programs, and strategies; 2 (E) ensuring integration of biodiversity 3 protection across the activities of the Federal 4 Government; 5 (F) advancing conservation in collaboration 6 with the State and Tribal governments and on 7 private lands through funding, technical sup- 8 port, and partnerships; 9 (G) incorporating indigenous knowledge 10 and practices to support conservation and bio- 11 diversity, and ensuring fulfillment of the Fed- 12 eral trust obligations that apply to government 13 decisionmaking that impacts the interests of 14 Native Americans; 15 (H) means to ensure equitable access to 16 nature, inclusive decisionmaking on biodiversity 17 protection, and just allocations of resources to 18 achieve the goals of this resolution, including 19 for systematically and deliberately targeted pop- 20 ulations such as communities of color, low-in- 21 come communities, and Native American com- 22 munities; 23 (I) establishing regular monitoring and re- 24 porting on the status of the Nation’s biodiver- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:35 Dec 03, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1247.IH HR1247 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HRES 1247 IH sity, including a quadrennial assessment re- 1 ported to Congress and the American people; 2 (J) prioritizing programs to identify knowl- 3 edge gaps and accelerate research and develop- 4 ment of new conservation solutions across sec- 5 tors; and 6 (K) funding existing conservation pro- 7 grams, developing new funding sources, and re- 8 ducing subsidies that harm biodiversity, in 9 amounts commensurate with the scale of the 10 challenge. 11 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:35 Dec 03, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1247.IH HR1247 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS