Ch. 1— Summary and Options for Congress * 11 



is given to offsite conservation of domesticated 

 and wild animals. 



FINDING 1: A comprehensive approach is 

 needed to arrest the loss of biological di- 

 versity. Significant gaps in existing pro- 

 grams could be identified with such an ap- 

 proach, and the resources of organizations 

 concerned with the issue could be better al- 

 located. Improved coordination could create 

 opportunities to enhance effectiveness and 

 efficiency of Federal, State, and private pro- 

 grams without interfering with achievement 

 of the programs' goals. 



The broad scale of the problem of diversity 

 loss necessitates innovative solutions. Various 

 laws and programs of Federal, State, and pri- 

 vate organizations already provide the frame- 

 work for a concerted comprehensive approach. 

 At this time, however, few of these programs 

 state maintenance of biological diversity as an 

 explicit objective. As a result, diversity is given 

 cursory attention in most conservation and re- 

 source management programs. Some of them, 

 such as the Endangered Species Program, ad- 

 dress diversity more directly but are concerned 

 with only one facet of the problem. Duplica- 

 tion of efforts, conflicts in goals, and gaps in 

 geographic and taxonomic coverage are con- 

 sequences. 



To resolve this institutional problem, a com- 

 prehensive approach to maintaining biological 

 diversity is needed. The implication is not that 

 all programs should address the full range of 

 approaches; rather, organizations should view 

 their own programs within the broader context 

 of maintaining diversity and should coordinate 

 their programs with those of other organiza- 

 tions. Programs and organizations would there- 

 by benefit from one another. Gaps could be 

 identified and eventually filled, and duplicate 

 efforts could be reduced. And organizations 

 could improve efficiency by taking the respon- 

 sibilities for which they are best suited. More- 

 over, financial support for diversity maintenance 

 could be more effectively distributed. A step 

 in this direction has been taken in recent ini- 

 tiatives, but congressional commitment to such 

 an endeavor is necessary to ensure that efforts 



will be made to achieve a comprehensive ap- 

 proach to maintaining biological diversity. 



Option 1.1: Enact legislation that recognizes the 

 importance of maintaining biological diver- 

 sity as a national objective. 



Current legislation addressing the loss of bio- 

 logical diversity in the United States is largely 

 piecemeal. Although many Federal laws affect 

 conservation of diversity, few refer to it spe- 

 cifically. The National Forest Management Act 

 of 1976 is the only legislation that mandates the 

 conservation of a "diversity of plant and ani- 

 mal communities," but it offers no explicit 

 direction on the meaning and scope of diver- 

 sity maintenance. 



Consequently, existing Federal programs fo- 

 cus on sustaining specific ecosystems, species, 

 or gene pools, or on protecting endangered 

 wildlife. Species protection laws authorize Fed- 

 eral agencies to manage specific animal popu- 

 lations and their habitats. Habitat protection 

 laws authorize the acquisition or designation 

 of habitats under Federal stewardship. Federal 

 laws for offsite maintenance of plants author- 

 ize the collection and genetic development of 

 plant species that demonstrate potential eco- 

 nomic value. 



The Endangered Species Act authorizes pro- 

 tection of species considered threatened or en- 

 dangered in the United States. However, list- 

 ing endangered species does not eliminate the 

 problem; efforts are hampered by slow listing 

 procedures, by emphasis on vertebrate animals 

 at the expense of plants and invertebrates, and 

 by concerns about conflicts that endangered 

 status might create. 



Congress could pass a National Biological 

 Diversity Act to endorse the importance of the 

 issue and to provide guidance for a comprehen- 

 sive approach. Such an act could explicitly state 

 maintenance of diversity as a national goal, 

 establish mechanisms for coordinating activi- 

 ties, and set priorities for diversity conserva- 

 tion. A national policy could bring about co- 

 operation among Federal, State, and private 

 efforts, help reduce conflicting activities, and 

 improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness of 

 programs. 



