22 • Technologies To Maintain Biological Diversity 



continue to operate. The two options could be 

 complementary. Some clearinghouse functions 

 might be handled by TNC, but others, such as 

 facilitating improvement of and access to data 

 sources, could be best handled by a separate 

 entity that functions much like a library. 



Support International Initiatives 

 f o Maintain Biological Diversity 



Most biological resources belong to individ- 

 ual nations. However, many benefits from di- 

 versity accrue internationally. American ag- 

 riculture, for example, depends on foreign 

 sources for genetic diversity to keep ahead of 

 constantly evolving pests and pathogens. And 

 many bird populations important to controlling 

 pests in the United States overwinter in the 

 forests of Latin America. 



Solutions to problems that cause diversity loss 

 must be implemented locally, but many of these 

 will be effective only if supported by interna- 

 tional political and technical cooperation. Ex- 

 amples of such problems include the interna- 

 tional trade in rare wildlife, the greenhouse 

 effect of carbon dioxide on the atmosphere, the 

 effects of acid rain on freshwater lakes and 

 forests, and damage to oceans by pollution and 

 overfishing. The United States has the politi- 

 cal prestige needed to initiate international co- 

 operation, and it leads the world in much of 

 the technical expertise needed, such as funda- 

 mental biology and information processing. 

 Thus, the United States has both motive and 

 ability to participate and to provide leadership 

 in international conservation efforts. 



The United States has historically played a 

 leading role in promoting international conser- 

 vation initiatives, and precedence exists for ex- 

 tending this leadership to an international or 

 global approach for conserving biological diver- 

 sity. A variety of international conventions and 

 multilateral programs already specify biological 

 diversity as an aspect of broader conservation 

 objectives (e.g., biosphere reserve program). 

 Such internationally recognized obligations can 

 be important policy tools in concert with tech- 

 nical, administrative, and financial measures 

 to encourage programs for conserving diver- 



sity. Obligations confirmed by international 

 conventions provide conservation authorities 

 with the justification frequently needed to 

 strengthen their national programs. 



FINDING 6: The United States has begun to ab- 

 dicate leadership in international conserva- 

 tion efforts, with the result that international 

 initiatives are weakened or stalled in the trop- 

 ical regions where diversity losses are most 

 severe. Renewed U.S. commitment could ac- 

 celerate the pace of international achieve- 

 ments in conservation. 



The United States has been a model and an 

 active leader in international conservation activ- 

 ity. The movement toward establishment of na- 

 tional parks worldwide grew out of the United 

 States. In the early 1970s, the United States was 

 a leader in international environmental and re- 

 source deliberations, notably in the 1972 UN- 

 sponsored Stockholm Conference on the Hu- 

 man Environment. U.S. leadership, for exam- 

 ple, played an important role in establishing 

 the United Nations Environment Programme 

 (UNEP), and in securing the Convention on In- 

 ternational Trade in Endangered Species of 

 Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the World 

 Heritage Convention, all important foundations 

 of current international efforts to support main- 

 tenance of biological diversity. 



However, U.S. support for these kinds of ini- 

 tiatives has declined. The retrenchment in sup- 

 port reflects austerity measures as well as dis- 

 satisfaction with the performance of specific 

 international organizations. Effective interna- 

 tional projects, such as UNESCO's Man and 

 the Biosphere Program, have suffered by asso- 

 ciation. 



U.S. support of international conservation ef- 

 forts is pivotal in that the United States has 

 greater resources and stronger technical abili- 

 ties than most other countries to address the 

 complex issue of diversity loss. Without greater 

 initiative and access to resources, many coun- 

 tries will be unable to arrest loss of diversity 

 within their borders. Under existing conditions, 

 countries that harbor the greatest diversity are 

 expected to devote a large part of their national 



