12 • Technologies To Maintain Biological Diversity 



To be effective, a new act would require a 

 succinct definition of biological diversity and 

 explicit goals for its maintenance. Otherwise, 

 ambiguities would lead to misinterpretation 

 and confusion. Diversity, for example, could 

 be interpreted broadly when authorities and 

 funding are being sought and narrowly when 

 responsibilities are assigned. Identifying goals 

 is likely to be a long and politically sensitive 

 process. Decisionmakers and the public will 

 have to determine if conserving maximum diver- 

 sity is the desirable goal. Finally, to be effec- 

 tive, the law must have both public support and 

 adequate resources, or it would simply provide 

 a false reassurance that something is being 

 done. 



Option 1.2: Develop a National Conservation 

 Strategy for U.S. biological resources. 



Another means of comprehensively address- 

 ing diversity maintenance is to develop a Na- 

 tional Conservation Strategy (NCS). This strat- 

 egy could be developed in conjunction with, 

 or in lieu of, a mandate as suggested in the 

 preceding option. The process would initiate 

 coordination of Federal programs. Program ad- 

 ministrators could identify measures to reduce 

 overlap and duplication, to minimize jurisdic- 

 tional problems, and to develop new initiatives. 



A national strategy could minimize potential 

 competition, conflict, and duplication among 

 programs in the private and public sectors. In 

 addition, preparation of an NCS would strengthen 

 efforts to promote NCSs in other countries. 

 Some 30 countries (mostly developing coun- 

 tries, but also including Canada and the United 

 Kingdom) have initiated concrete steps to pre- 

 pare an NCS. U.S. action might reinforce the 

 momentum for NCSs in other countries. 



Congress could establish an independent 

 commission to prepare the NCS. Members of 

 the commission could serve part-time and be 

 provided a budget for meetings and adminis- 

 trative support. The commission could include 

 representatives from government, academia, 

 and the private sector. The Public Land Law 

 Review Commission and the National Water 

 Commission are potential models. 



In developing a national strategy, such a com- 

 mission could do the following: 



• assess the adequacy of existing programs 

 to conserve biological diversity; 



• formulate a national policy on mainte- 

 nance of biological diversity; 



• identify measures required to implement 

 the policy, any obstacles to such measures, 

 and the means to overcome those obstacles; 



• determine how biological diversity main- 

 tenance relates to other conservation and 

 development interests; and 



• include a public consultation and informa- 

 tion program to build a consensus on the 

 content of the national conservation strategy. 



Another way to prepare a strategy is to tap 

 the resources of an established government 

 agency. An appropriate body could be the 

 Council for Environmental Quality (CEQ), 

 which is part of the Office of the President. Cre- 

 ated by the National Environmental Policy Act 

 of 1969, CEQ already prepares annual reports 

 for the President on the state of the environ- 

 ment. In doing so, it uses the services of public 

 and private agencies, organizations, and indi- 

 viduals and hence has the experience and au- 

 thority to bring together various interest groups 

 and expertise. On the other hand, CEQ, though 

 fully staffed in the 1970s with a range of envi- 

 ronmental experts, now has only a small staff 

 of administrators. Coordinating and guiding the 

 substantive development of an NCS is thus be- 

 yond the council's current capacity except 

 through use of consultants. 



Because the success of an NCS depends on 

 participation of a broad spectrum of interest 

 groups, its preparation could be a daunting 

 prospect. The number, size, and nature of U.S. 

 Government agencies and the different sectors 

 involved could make preparation and imple- 

 mentation of a strategy difficult. 



Option 1.3: Amend the legislation of Federal 

 agencies to make maintenance of biological 

 diversity an explicit consideration in their 

 activities. 



Yet another means for Congress to encourage 

 a comprehensive approach is to make mainte- 



