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• Under the African Elephant Conservation Act the Fish 

 and Wildlife Service provides signicant assistance ($1.2 

 million yearly) to range states involved in the often 

 desperate war against poaching. Unfortunately, there is 

 no funding available under the Wild Bird Conservation 

 Act to conduct bird projects in Africa similar to those 

 underway in Latin America. 



And on a bilateral basis, using State Department (OES) 

 special funds, we have, just in the last year, enabled several 

 U.S. technical agencies to support basic science research on 

 environmental issues. Examples include a cooperative fisheries 

 study in Senegal by NOAA, a collaborative study and survey of 

 biota in Madagascar by the Smithsonian, and a mineral potential 

 study in the Horn of Africa. 



I am not suggesting that our current environmental policy 

 is perfect. It needs strengthening in a number of areas. Let 

 me mention three of them: 



We need a system to support more effectively U.S. NGOs 

 working on environmental issues, to keep U.S. embassies 

 better informed about the scope and significance of NGO 

 efforts, and to encourage linkages between U.S. NGOs and 

 their African NGO counterparts; 



We need a small project fund, within existing 

 resources, to replace the defunct Biodiversity Fund, which 

 was financed in FYs 91 and 93 through military assistance. 

 Such a fund would to enable U.S. ambassadors to support 

 biodiversity initiatives in foreign countries. (The new 

 tund should not require that this assistance be channelled 

 through the local military, as the Biodiversity Fund did.) 



We need to make greater use of regional funding 

 capabilities to support our global environmental concerns 

 in those African countries which do not have AID missions. 

 We are already planning a regional program focussed on the 

 Central African rainforests. 



We realize that sound and sustainable environmental 

 policy depends on vigorous local participation by individuals, 

 co.rnmuni t ies and NGOs. American ambassadors from Praia to 

 Pretoria are being encouraged to identify and support, through 

 • he -Mitire range of our aid and exchange programs, individuals 

 and organizations who are leaders in the struggle for a 

 healthier environment. We know that Africans increasingly 

 r.h.ii'! .'ur concern about the environment and hope for a growing 

 •ic'iM'c of cooperation with us on environmental issues. 



Mi . Chairman, in closing let me explain why a vigorous 

 environmental partnership in Africa serves American as well as 

 Attican interests. Africa's long-term economic well-being is, 

 we know, linked with sustainable development of its natural 

 lesnurce base Without progress in this area, the prospects 

 for rivii unrest and requirements for emergency aid will 

 cent inue to escalate. African countries faced with massive 

 economic problems need help in order to work with us on issues 

 ot glol 1 concern, such as biodiversity and global climate 

 change. That is why our investment in helping Africans to 

 sustain Africa's environmental health is so important to our 

 own . 



Thank you . 



