Chapter 11 



Biological Diversity and 

 Development Assistance 



HIGHLIGHTS 



The United States has a stake in maintaining biological diversity in developing 

 countries. Many of these nations are in regions where biological systems are 

 highly diverse, pressures that degrade diversity are most pronounced, and the 

 ability to forestall a reduction in diversity is least well developed. 



With recent amendments to the Foreign Assistance Act and earmarking of funds, 

 the United States has defined maintaining biological diversity as an important 

 objective in U.S. development assistance. It is unclear, however, whether the 

 Agency for International Development (the principle U.S. development assis- 

 tance agency] can effectively promote conservation of biological diversity. 



Development assistance can help improve the capacity of developing coun- 

 tries to maintain diversity by 1] building public support; 2) establishing an in- 

 formation base; 3) building institutional support; 4) promoting planning and 

 management; 5) increasing technical capacity; and 6) increasing the direct eco- 

 nomic benefits from sustainable use of biological resources. 

 Multilateral development banks strongly influence the nature of resource de- 

 velopment in developing countries. Recent congressional pressures to encourage 

 these banks to place greater emphasis on environmental implications of their 

 activities, including threats to biological diversity, have met with some suc- 

 cess. Continued monitoring of progress in this area is necessary to enhance 

 progress made to date. 



II 



Concern about the loss of biological diver- 

 sity is acute for developing countries for sev- 

 eral reasons. First, the level of diversity is 

 greater in developing countries particularly in 

 tropical locations, than it is in industrial coun- 

 tries. Second, biological diversity is less well- 

 documented in developing countries. Third, 

 conversions of natural ecosystems to human- 

 modified landscapes are more pronounced and 

 likely to accelerate in developing countries due 

 to the combined pressures of population growth 

 and poverty. Finally, developing countries 

 characteristically lack both the technical and 

 financial resources to address these issues. 



The United States has a stake in maintaining 

 biological diversity, particularly in developing 

 countries. The rationale for assisting develop- 

 ing countries rests on the following: 



1. recognition of the substantial benefits of 

 a diversity of plants, animals, and micro- 

 organisms; 



2. evidence that degradation of ecosystems 

 can undermine U.S. support of economic 

 development efforts; and 



3. esthetic and ethical motivations to avoid 

 irreversible loss of unique life forms (see 

 box 11-A). 



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