246 • Technologies To Maintain Biological Diversity 



The various laws and programs of Federal, 

 State, and private organizations provide an 

 elaborate framework on which a concerted bio- 

 logical diversity effort could be built. But be- 

 cause few of these activities cite the mainte- 

 nance of biological diversity as an explicit 

 objective, the goal is not considered in a com- 

 prehensive or coherent manner. Duplication 

 of effort, conflicts in goals, and gaps in geo- 

 graphic and taxonomic coverage consequently 

 exist. 



One means of addressing biological diversity 

 maintenance in a comprehensive way is to de- 

 velop a national strategy. The process of de- 

 veloping a plan would help pinpoint areas 

 where activities overlap or are lacking. At the 

 least, such a process would initiate coordina- 

 tion of Federal agencies' activities. Those ad- 

 ministering programs related to biological 

 diversity would have to provide detailed reports 

 on how programs are being implemented to 

 conserve diversity. In particular, they would 

 need to identify measures being undertaken to 

 reduce program overlap, minimize jurisdic- 

 tional problems, and identify areas for new ini- 

 tiatives. The latter is most evident in the lack 

 of a national animal genetic resources program 

 and of a system of protected representative eco- 

 systems in the United States. 



Any strategy, no matter how good it appears 

 on paper, cannot be effectively implemented 

 without adequate resources. Sustained long- 

 term funding, in turn, requires consistent com- 

 mitment to the process. The inconsistent fund- 

 ing and staffing of many existing programs 

 illustrate the complexity and accompanying 

 uncertainty of the political process. 



An examination of trends in Federal budget 

 allocations for natural resource conservation- 

 including pollution control, water resources, 

 public lands, recreation, and soil conserva- 

 tion—reveals a considerable decline over the 

 last decade. This decline stands in contrast with 

 real spending increases between 1978 and 1986 

 for defense (50 percent), payments to individu- 

 als — e.g., social security. Medicare, veterans' 

 benefits, food stamps, and so on— and a tripling 

 of interest payments on the national debt (51). 

 The proportion of U.S. Government research 

 and development (R&D) expenditures devoted 

 to environmental R&D has also declined in re- 

 cent years and assumes a smaller proportion 

 of total government R&D funding compared 

 with other industrial countries (48). 



Programs of particular relevance to biologi- 

 cal diversity maintenance, namely the Endan- 

 gered Species Program and the National Plant 

 Germplasm System, have been stretched to the 

 point of being unable to adequately meet their 

 objectives. These programs are able to prevail, 

 in light of the constraints, mainly because of 

 the dedication and ingenuity of the individuals 

 working in them. The National Plant Germ- 

 plasm System, for instance, has been under- 

 funded for years. Within 2 years, the National 

 Seed Storage Laboratory's storage facilities will 

 be full, and aging equipment and buildings at 

 NSSL and other facilities require major repair, 

 upgrading, or replacement. Similarly, the ef- 

 fectiveness of the Endangered Species Program 

 in preventing extinctions has been hindered by 

 a shortage of resources. 



CHAPTER 9 REFERENCES 



1. American Association of Zoological Parks and 

 Aquariums, Species Survival Plan (Wheeling, 

 WV: undated). 



2. Anonymous, "Block Announces Pioneer Grant," 

 Diversity 7:9-10, fall 1985. 



3. Bean, M. )., The Evolution of National Wildlife 

 Law (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1983). 



4. Bean, M., "Federal Laws and Policies Pertain- 



ing to the Maintenance of Biological Diversity 

 on Federal and Private Lands," OTA commis- 

 sioned paper, 1985. 



5. Bonner, F., "Technologies To Maintain Tree 

 Germplasm Diversity," OTA commissioned pa- 

 per, 1985. 



6. Council for Agricultural Science and Technol- 

 ogy, Animal Germplasm Preservation and Uti- 



