18 • Technologies To Maintain Biological Diversity 



FINDING 4: Many Federal agencies sponsor 

 diversity maintenance programs that are well 

 designed but not fully effective in achieving 

 their objectives because of inadequate fund- 

 ing and personnel, lack of links to other pro- 

 grams, or lack of complementary programs 

 in related fields. 



Much is already being done to maintain cer- 

 tain aspects of diversity in the United States, 

 but efforts are constrained by shrinking budgets 

 and personnel. And as noted earlier, the pro- 

 grams addressing biological diversity are piece- 

 meal rather than comprehensive or strategic. 

 Whether or not Congress chooses to promote 

 a comprehensive strategy for diversity main- 

 tenance, specific attention is needed to remedy 

 the major gaps and inadequacies in existing 

 programs. 



Option 4. 1 : Provide increased funding to exist- 

 ing programs for maintenance of diversity. 



A number of governmental programs for di- 

 versity maintenance already exist, some be- 

 cause of congressional mandates. Yet the full 

 potential of some of those programs has not 

 been realized because funding is insufficient. 

 Two such programs are the National Plant 

 Germplasm System (NPGS) and the Endangered 

 Species Program, though others would also ben- 

 efit from higher levels of funding. 



The NPGS of the Agricultural Research Serv- 

 ice has functioned for years on severely limited 

 funds and, consequently, is in danger of losing 

 some of the storehouse of plant germplasm. 

 This desperate situation is best illustrated by 

 the National Seed Storage Laboratory (NSSL), 

 which is expected to exceed its storage capac- 

 ity in 2 years. At the same time, NSSL is being 

 pressured to increase collection and mainte- 

 nance of wild plant germplasm. NPGS is at- 

 tempting to respond to various criticisms about 

 its effectiveness, but progress has been slow 

 because of lack of funds and personnel. The 

 1986 appropriation for germplasm work is ap- 

 proximately $16 million, but to support current 

 programs adequately would cost about $40 mil- 

 lion (1981 dollars] annually. 



Similarly underfunded and understaffed is 

 the Endangered Species Program of the Fish 

 and Wildlife Service. A review of this program 

 shows a substantial and growing backlog of im- 

 portant work. The rate of proposing species for 

 the threatened and endangered list is so slow 

 that a few candidates (e.g., Texas Henslow's 

 sparrow) may have become extinct while await- 

 ing listing. Critical habitat has been determined 

 for only one-fourth of the listed species, and 

 recovery plans have been approved for only 

 some of the listed species. 



Congress could provide adequate funding for 

 these and other programs to achieve their goals 

 in maintaining diversity. NPGS could, as a re- 

 sult, increase the viability of stored germplasm 

 through more frequent testing and regenera- 

 tion of accessions. NSSL could increase its effi- 

 ciency by expanding storage capacity and 

 adopting new technologies. For example, cryo- 

 genic storage could be used to reduce mainte- 

 nance cost and space, thereby enabling a larger 

 collection of germplasm. Likewise, the Endan- 

 gered Species Program would be able to assess 

 candidate species faster and to develop and im- 

 plement recovery plans for those already listed 

 species. 



Option 4.2: Amend appropriate legislation to 

 improve the link between onsite and offsite 

 maintenance programs. 



Coordination between onsite and offsite pro- 

 grams is inadequate. By amending appropri- 

 ate legislation, Congress could encourage the 

 complementary use of onsite and offsite tech- 

 nologies. For example, the Endangered Species 

 Act could be amended to encourage use of cap- 

 tive breeding and propagation techniques. Such 

 methods have been used with some endangered 

 species, such as the red wolf, whooping crane, 

 and grizzly bear. But for other species, such 

 as the California condor, black-footed ferret, 

 and dusky seaside sparrow, recovery plans do 

 not exist or were too long delayed. Recovery 

 plans for endangered species seldom include 

 the use of offsite techniques, partly because cap- 

 tive breeding and propagation are outside the 



