Senate and House Move Quickly to Reauthorize Programs for International Conservation

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Senate Environment
and Public Works Committee has approved the re-authorization for an
additional five years of conservation programs for African elephants, Asian
elephants, rhinos and tigers. The Senate Committee adopted H.R. 465 and
H.R. 50, which were passed by the House of Representatives on July 23.
There were no amendments and the two bills are expected to be adopted by
the Senate by unanimous consent and then head to the President’s desk for
signature.
“These relatively modest programs can make a big difference for anti-
poaching efforts, smuggling control, habitat preservation, field
monitoring, disease prevention, public education, and solutions to
human-animal conflicts around the world,” said Ginette Hemley, head of
conservation programs at World Wildlife Fund. “We thank Chairman Barbara
Boxer in the Senate and Chairman Nick Rahall in the House for their
continued support of these programs.”
These bills authorize up to $20 million in grants from the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service. There is room for expansion of current programs that
were funded in FY 2007 at $4.4 million for these species. The House has
already passed legislation for FY 2008 providing for $6.5 million for these
species, and the Senate has increased funding to $5 million. A final figure
will be decided in a House-Senate Conference Committee later this year.
African elephants, especially in West, Central and East Africa, are
under intense pressure from poachers of ivory for sale on the international
black market. The trade in illegal wildlife products is close behind the
trade in illegal drugs and illegal weapons. Grants from the African
Elephant Conservation Fund have been made since 1990 to provide protection
from poachers and for surveys of elephant populations and habitats. The
Fund supported an experimental program intended to reduce human-elephant
conflicts by helping local farmers to grow chili peppers. These peppers are
an irritant to elephants and deter them from raiding the farmers’ fields.
The program has been so successful that a market was subsequently developed
for “elephant friendly” chili peppers through McIlheny, Inc. Creative
solutions to human- animal conflicts have been a major contribution of the
Conservation Funds.
The Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund has been re-authorized at
$10 million, and the House and Senate are considering an appropriation this
year of between $2 million and $2.5 million. These funds will be especially
timely in view of major declines in tiger populations in India. Last year
the Sariska Tiger Reserve was found to have no remaining tigers, and this
year a new survey has revealed that only 1300 tigers remain in India.
Persistent over-counting and poaching for illegal markets in Tibet and
China have reduced the number of wild tigers by two thirds in less than a
decade. The future of tigers in the wild will depend on the level of
protection provided by local authorities, and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Fund
will be a crucial element in providing that protection.
Although many thousands of domesticated Asian elephants are found in
Southeast Asia, they face extinction in the wild from the impacts of
rapidly growing human populations and shrinking habitat. Wild elephant
populations are mostly small and isolated because their migratory routes
have been cut off by human settlements. Confrontations between elephants
and people often lead to deaths on both sides, and poaching for ivory, meat
and hides is still a widespread problem.
“A small investment by the United States leverages more than three
times as much in additional funds through public-private partnerships,
contributing to the survival of major species about which Americans care
deeply. The programs also help promote a positive image of the United
States around the world,” continued Hemley.

SOURCE World Wildlife Fund