8 • Technologies To Maintain Biological Diversity 



some aspects of diversity are covered, other 

 aspects are ignored. Table 1-3 lists major Federal 

 mandates pertinent to diversity maintenance. 



Because U.S. interest in biological diversity 

 extends beyond its borders, the United States 

 subscribes to a number of international con- 

 servation lavifs and supports programs through 

 bilateral and multilateral assistance channels. 

 However, many of these programs have too lit- 

 tle support to be effective in resolving interna- 

 tionally important problems. 



Both domestic and international institutions 

 deal with aspects of diversity. Some focus at- 

 tention exclusively on maintaining certain agri- 

 cultural crops, such as wheat, and others fo- 

 cus on certain wild species, such as whales and 

 migratory waterfowl. A shift has occurred in 

 recent years from the traditional species pro- 



tection approach to a more encompassing eco- 

 system maintenance approach. 



Much of the work important to diversity main- 

 tenance is done in isolation and is too disjunct 

 to address the full range of concerns. And some 

 concerns receive little or no attention. For ex- 

 ample, the objectives of the USDA's National 

 Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) place primary 

 emphasis on economic plants and little empha- 

 sis on non-crop species. Similarly, programs 

 to protect endangered wild species direct at- 

 tention away from species that are threatened 

 but not listed as endangered. The lack of con- 

 nections between programs is another institu- 

 tional constraint. Linkages help define common 

 interests and areas of potential cooperation- 

 important steps in defining areas of redundancy, 

 neglect, and opportunity. 



THE ROLE OF CONGRESS 



Given the implications and irreversible na- 

 ture of biological extinction, policymakers must 

 continue to address the problem of diminish- 

 ing biological diversity. A significant increase 

 in attention and funding in this area seems con- 

 sistent with U.S. interests, in view of the bene- 

 fits the United States currently derives from 

 biological diversity and the advances that bio- 

 technology might achieve given a diversity of 

 genetic resources. In addition, enough infor- 

 mation exists to define priorities for diversity 

 maintenance and to provide a rationale for tak- 

 ing initiatives now, although further research 

 and critical review of the nature and extent of 

 diversity loss are also warranted. 



OTA has identified options available to Con- 

 gress. These options are discussed under five 

 major issues: 



1. strengthening the national commitment, 



2. increasing the Nation's ability to maintain 

 biological diversity, 



3. enhancing the knowledge base, 



4. supporting international initiatives, and 



5. addressing loss of biological diversity in 

 developing countries. 



For each issue, alternative or complementary 

 options are presented. These range from legis- 

 lative initiatives to programmatic changes 

 within Federal agencies. Options also define 

 opportunities to cultivate or support private sec- 

 tor initiatives. In a number of areas, however, 

 success will depend on increased or redirected 

 commitments of resources. Table 1-4 provides 

 a summary of policy issues and options. 



Strengthen the National Commitment 

 To Maintain Biological Diversity 



The national commitment to maintain bio- 

 logical diversity could be strengthened. Despite 

 society's reliance on biological resources for 

 sustenance and economic development, loss of 

 diversity has yet to emerge as a major concern 

 among decisionmakers. About 2 percent of the 

 national budget is spent on natural resources- 

 related programs, which include diversity-con- 

 servation programs as one subset. 



A number of government and private pro- 

 grams address maintenance of biological diver- 

 sity, but most programs have objectives too nar- 



