Conservation Reform Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of State to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study of, and report to Congress on, U.S. international conservation programs to determine the extent to which such programs are: (1) advancing conservation in the world's most ecologically and economically important terrestrial and marine ecosystems; (2) addressing natural resource challenges; (3) advancing U.S. foreign policy priorities in areas such as security, democratization, sustainable food production, and clean water; (4) enhancing economic and wildlife conservation benefits derived from properly managed international hunting and angling tourism; and (5) addressing poaching, illegal logging, fishing, and wildlife trafficking.
Directs the President: (1) to establish the Interagency Working Group on Global Conservation; and (2) through such Working Group, to establish the International Conservation Strategy to strengthen the capacity of the United States to collaborate with other countries, international organizations, the private sector, and private voluntary organizations to conserve natural resources and enhance biodiversity.
Requires: (1) the Strategy to provide a comprehensive plan of action that identifies specific and measurable benchmarks, goals, and time frames; and (2) the Working Group to ensure that the Strategy is appropriate to local needs and conditions and incorporates the views of partner countries.
Establishes the International Conservation Public Advisory Board to: (1) advise the Working Group on matters related to U.S. international conservation policies and programs and the implementation of the Strategy; and (2) ensure that the best scientific, policy, economic security, and business expertise are reflected in U.S. international conservation strategies and policies.
Prohibits any provision in this Act from being construed as restricting, limiting, or otherwise impairing: (1) properly managed recreational hunting and angling, or (2) the ability of any foreign jurisdiction or authority to authorize regulated programs supporting wildlife for local consumption and commercialization.
Urges the President to work with foreign assistance donor countries to: (1) develop a comprehensive international conservation assistance strategy consistent with the United States International Conservation Strategy, (2) identify multilateral mechanisms to coordinate international action, and (3) agree on a timetable for achieving the goals of the United States International Conservation Strategy.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2935 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2935
To establish more efficient and effective policies and processes for
departments and agencies engaged in or providing support to,
international conservation.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 1, 2013
Mr. Fortenberry (for himself and Ms. McCollum) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish more efficient and effective policies and processes for
departments and agencies engaged in or providing support to,
international conservation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Conservation Reform Act of 2013''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Developing country.--The term ``developing country''
means a country or area that is on the List of Official
Development Assistance Recipients of the Development Assistance
Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development.
(3) Hotspot regions.--The term ``hotspot regions'' means
regions of the developing world that contain an unusually high
concentration of species found nowhere else and that have lost
at least 70 percent of their original extent.
(4) Natural resources or renewable natural resources.--The
terms ``natural resources'' and ``renewable natural resources''
mean natural resources, including soils, forests, animal and
plant populations and products, coral reefs, and water, but do
not include nonrenewable natural resources such as minerals,
oil, and other fossil fuels.
TITLE I--ASSESSING EXISTING POLICIES AND PROGRAMS
SEC. 101. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES STUDY AND GOVERNMENT
ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE AUDIT AND REPORT.
(a) Study Required.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the heads of other
relevant Federal agencies shall enter into an arrangement with the
National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study of existing United
States international conservation programs to determine the extent to
which such programs are achieving the following objectives:
(1) Advancing conservation in the world's most ecologically
and economically important terrestrial and marine ecosystems
and protecting distinct hotspot regions that provide a high
level of economic benefit to human communities as well as a
high concentration of genetic and other natural resources.
(2) Enhancing and expanding partnerships throughout the
international community to address natural resource challenges
to ensure healthy and sustainable supplies of water, wildlife
habitat and populations, fish stocks and habitat, forests,
plants, and other critical resources.
(3) Integrating international conservation projects and
activities to advance United States foreign policy priorities
in areas such as security, democratization, sustainable food
production, and clean water.
(4) Expanding and enhancing the economic and wildlife
conservation benefits that derive from properly managed
international hunting and angling tourism.
(5) Addressing poaching, illegal logging, fishing, and
wildlife trafficking and the flow of funds to criminal gangs
and terrorists.
(b) Report Required.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the National Academy of Sciences shall submit to
the appropriate congressional committees a report containing the
findings of the study conducted pursuant to subsection (a).
(c) GAO Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States
shall issue a report that includes--
(1) a detailed description of key federally sponsored
multilateral international conservation programs, including--
(A) the agencies associated with each program;
(B) the primary goals of each program;
(C) the extent to which executive branch agencies
have established measures of performance and
effectiveness for each program; and
(D) the funds made available to each program in the
previous fiscal year;
(2) an assessment on how well executive branch agencies are
collaborating and coordinating on international conservation
efforts;
(3) an assessment on the extent to which executive branch
agencies have established strategic goals and performance
measures;
(4) an assessment of agency processes to ensure
conservation programs are administered effectively,
efficiently, and with minimal expenditures for program
administration;
(5) identification of conservation programs and policies
currently being utilized abroad and evaluation of the potential
for similar approaches to be adopted by the United States to
further the purposes of this Act;
(6) any recommendations that the Comptroller General
considers appropriate and useful to improve collaboration and
coordination between executive branch agencies on international
conservation efforts; and
(7) any other analyses the Comptroller General considers
necessary or appropriate.
TITLE II--POLICY PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION
SEC. 201. UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION STRATEGY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the President, acting through the Interagency
Working Group on International Conservation designated pursuant to
section 202(a), shall establish and submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a comprehensive strategy (hereafter referred
to as the ``International Conservation Strategy'') to strengthen the
capacity of the United States to collaborate with other countries,
international organizations, the private sector, and private voluntary
organizations on a sustained international effort to conserve natural
resources and enhance biodiversity in a manner beneficial to the
economic well-being and security of the United States and other
participating countries.
(b) Goals and Benchmarks.--The International Conservation Strategy
established pursuant to subsection (a) shall provide a plan of action
that identifies specific and measurable goals, benchmarks, and time
frames for--
(1) advancing conservation in the world's most ecologically
and economically important terrestrial and marine ecosystems;
(2) supporting distinct hotspot regions that provide a high
level of economic benefit to human communities as well as a
high concentration of genetic and other natural resources;
(3) helping developing countries address illegal,
unreported, and unregulated industrial fishing where economies
are negatively impacted by depleted fish stocks;
(4) safeguarding natural areas that provide fresh water to
developing countries;
(5) supporting enforcement efforts against illegal logging
in centers of the illegal logging trade;
(6) supporting enforcement efforts against poaching and
unlawful wildlife trafficking operations;
(7) facilitating and leveraging the economic and
conservation benefits that derive from properly managed
international hunting, angling, and wildlife observation
tourism;
(8) stabilizing or reversing renewable natural resource
scarcity and degradation trends in regions that are vulnerable
to conflict, instability, or mass migration from natural
resource depletion and wildlife trafficking;
(9) expanding substantially the amount of economically and
ecologically significant forest in developing countries; and
(10) reducing the rate of erosion and desertification in
developing countries where soil loss is resulting in severe
impacts to the economy, food security, or stability.
(c) Coordination and Leverage.--The International Conservation
Strategy shall coordinate and leverage the participation of relevant
executive branch agencies, other countries, the private sector, and
private voluntary organizations in ways that--
(1) reflect Government-wide policy that encompasses the
programs of, and reduces duplication among, executive branch
agencies that influence, engage in, or support international
conservation;
(2) provide a plan to identify and improve United States
policies that could be undermining the conservation of critical
natural resources and biodiversity abroad; and
(3) seek to encourage and leverage participation from
governments of developing countries and other governments, the
private sector, private voluntary organizations, and
international organizations to implement the Strategy.
(d) Assessing and Improving Effectiveness.--The International
Conservation Strategy shall include a description of the performance
and efficiency measures developed pursuant to section 202(a)(2)(C) and
a process for their utilization.
(e) Country Ownership.--In preparing the International Conservation
Strategy, the Interagency Working Group on International Conservation
shall ensure that the Strategy is appropriate to local needs and
conditions and incorporates the views of partner countries, and
describes a means for local citizens to participate in the
implementation and the setting of priorities of such programs in the
field. The International Conservation Strategy should build upon
partner country development plans and regional strategies.
(f) Revision.--Not later than 4 years after the International
Conservation Strategy is established, and every 4 years thereafter, the
Strategy shall be revised to reflect--
(1) new information collected pursuant to the
implementation of the Strategy; and
(2) advances in the understanding of biological diversity
and the economic and security impacts of renewable natural
resource degradation.
SEC. 202. POLICY IMPLEMENTATION.
(a) Interagency Working Group on International Conservation.--
(1) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the President shall establish the
Interagency Working Group on International Conservation
(hereafter referred to as the ``working group''), which shall
include the participation of the executive branch agencies that
affect, oversee, or implement programs that conduct or support
international conservation activities or affect the ability of
the United States to achieve the goals of the International
Conservation Strategy.
(2) Duties.--The working group shall--
(A) develop, through utilization of the report
completed pursuant to section 101(b) and appropriate
public and agency input, the International Conservation
Strategy established pursuant to section 201(a);
(B) identify measures to enhance program and policy
coordination among the relevant executive branch
agencies in implementing the Strategy by ensuring that
each relevant executive branch agency undertakes
programs primarily in those areas where each such
agency has the greatest expertise, technical
capabilities, and potential for success, and ensuring
that agencies avoid duplication of effort;
(C) work with the Office of Management and Budget
to evaluate the effectiveness of the international
conservation programs of the relevant executive branch
agencies in meeting the goals of the Strategy by
developing and applying specific performance
measurements, including assessments of--
(i) program effectiveness;
(ii) program efficiency and cost-
effectiveness;
(iii) program accessibility and
transparency; and
(iv) agency overhead or project
administration costs for programs operating in
the field;
(D) submit to the heads of the United States
Government departments and agencies represented on the
working group programmatic recommendations that are
consistent with the priorities of the Strategy and
policy recommendations to ensure that the polices of
such departments and agencies advance the interests of
the United States in conserving critical natural
resources and biodiversity;
(E) submit to such heads recommendations for
facilitating coordination and continuity across the
departments and agencies in the implementation of
international conservation policies subject to
interagency or multi-agency jurisdiction;
(F) identify innovative conservation projects,
policies, and initiatives that contribute to achieving
multiple foreign policy goals simultaneously,
including--
(i) reducing poverty;
(ii) expanding access to food and water;
(iii) addressing health threats through
natural resources conservation;
(iv) expanding the access of women to
sustainably managed natural resources and to
techniques for improved natural resource
management;
(v) addressing poaching, unlawful fishing,
illegal logging, and wildlife trafficking;
(vi) reducing natural resource scarcities
or degradation that could increase inter- and
intra-state tensions; and
(vii) conserving biological diversity;
(G) identify measures to address obstacles to
achieving the goals of the Strategy, including policies
that might limit the conservation benefits from
properly managed international hunting and angling
tourism;
(H) develop recommendations for expanding the role
of the private sector in United States international
conservation programs by expanding and leveraging
private sector contributions;
(I) identify measures that further the goals of the
Strategy, including regulatory actions that facilitate
the importation process for wildlife species with a
legitimate scientific purpose or to directly or
indirectly benefit the recovery of the species or its
habitat through the support of conservation programs in
foreign countries;
(J) recommend diplomatic mechanisms, relevant
international institutions and agreements, and other
appropriate mechanisms to engage other countries to
work jointly with the United States to achieve the
goals and actions of the International Conservation
Strategy;
(K) identify successful conservation programs and
policies currently being utilized abroad and evaluate
the potential for similar approaches to be adopted or
expanded by the United States to further the goals of
the Strategy;
(L) identify underperforming and unsuccessful
projects and programs and make recommendations to
improve performance and terminate programs and projects
in a manner consistent with furthering the goals of the
Strategy;
(M) identify natural resource conservation needs
not currently being met by existing policies and
programs and make recommendations for addressing such
needs;
(N) recommend mechanisms to facilitate mutually
beneficial international conservation partnerships
between such departments and agencies, nongovernmental
organizations, and the private sector; and
(O) meet regularly to review progress on the
objectives described in subparagraphs (A) through (N).
(3) Working group leadership.--The President shall
designate an individual in the executive branch to serve as the
chair of the working group (hereafter referred to as the
``chair''), the duties of whom shall include--
(A) convening and leading meetings of the working
group;
(B) taking steps to ensure the development and
implementation of the International Conservation
Strategy;
(C) ensuring the goals and purposes of the working
group are met in accordance with paragraph (2); and
(D) ensuring public input into the development and
implementation of the International Conservation
Strategy by convening the International Conservation
Public Advisory Board established under subsection (b).
(b) International Conservation Public Advisory Board.--
(1) Establishment.--There is hereby established a
International Conservation Public Advisory Board (hereafter
referred to as the ``Advisory Board''), whose purpose shall be
to advise the working group on matters related to the
international conservation policies and programs of the United
States and the development and implementation of the
International Conservation Strategy, and to ensure that the
best scientific, policy, economic security, and business
expertise are reflected in the international conservation
strategies and policies of the United States.
(2) Duties.--It shall be the duty of the Advisory Board to
advise the working group on matters related to carrying out the
duties described in subsection (a)(2), including on matters
submitted to it for consideration by the working group, as well
as matters identified by the Advisory Board.
(c) Membership.--The Advisory Board shall be comprised of not more
than 15 persons appointed from among citizens of the United States who
support sustainable-use conservation, and shall have outstanding
expertise in one or more of the following fields:
(1) International conservation.
(2) International diplomacy.
(3) International business.
(4) Economic development and poverty alleviation.
(5) Food security and water access.
(6) Natural resource scarcity and degradation and related
conflict and security issues.
(7) The economic and conservation benefits of international
hunting and angling tourism.
(8) International laws concerning illegal wildlife
trafficking and illegal fishing.
(9) Wildlife biology and zoology.
(d) Appointment.--Members of the Advisory Board shall be appointed
by the President with the advice of the Chairman and Ranking Member of
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Chairman and
Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives, on a staggered basis for a term not to exceed 4 years,
except that with respect to the initial members of the Advisory Board,
\1/3\ shall be appointed for a term of 2 years, \1/3\ shall be
appointed for a term of 3 years, and \1/3\ shall be appointed for a
term of 4 years.
(e) Chairman.--A member of the Advisory Board shall be elected by a
vote of the majority of the Board to serve as Chairman for a 2-year
term.
(f) Meetings.--The Advisory Board shall convene at the call of the
Chairman to consider a specific agenda of issues, as determined by the
Chairman in consultation with the working group and other members of
the Advisory Board.
(g) Reporting.--The Advisory Board shall report to the working
group chair designated in accordance with subsection (a)(3) on its
deliberations, conclusions, and recommendations.
(h) Applicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act.--The Advisory
Board shall be exempt from the provisions of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).
SEC. 203. REPORTING.
(a) Government Accountability Office Report.--Not later than 4
years after the International Conservation Strategy is established
under section 201, the Comptroller General of the United States shall
conduct an audit to consider the progress made to achieve the
objectives, goals, and benchmarks described in section 201(b), and
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the
development and implementation of the International Conservation
Strategy. The report shall--
(1) assess progress made in accomplishing the goals and
benchmarks described in section 201(b);
(2) assess the extent to which the executive branch
agencies have identified conservation programs and projects
that have the potential for replication or adaptation,
particularly at low cost, in other United States international
conservation efforts;
(3) assess the extent to which agencies have increased the
efficiency and effectiveness of United States international
conservation programs and reducing executive branch agency
overhead or project administration costs for conservation
programs implemented abroad;
(4) assess the extent to which agencies have identified
unsuccessful projects and programs and the actions taken to
improve performance or terminate such projects and programs;
(5) assess the extent to which agencies have quantified the
economic benefits that resulted from investments in
international conservation programs and activities called for
in the Strategy, and an accounting of the measures utilized to
calculate such benefits;
(6) assess the security benefits to the United States and
friends and allies from better management of natural resources
and reduction of poaching and wildlife trafficking;
(7) include policy analyses and outline options for
congressional consideration; and
(8) include any other analyses the Comptroller General
considers necessary or appropriate.
SEC. 204. WILDLIFE DEPENDENT RECREATION AND USES OF WILDLIFE.
(a) Wildlife Dependent Recreation.--No provision in this Act shall
be construed as restricting, limiting, or otherwise impairing properly
managed recreational hunting and angling.
(b) Regulated Uses of Wildlife.--No provision in this Act shall be
construed as restricting, limiting, or otherwise impairing the ability
of any foreign jurisdiction or authority to authorize regulated
programs supporting wildlife for local consumption and
commercialization.
TITLE III--SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FROM OTHER COUNTRIES
SEC. 301. DIPLOMATIC GOALS AND VENUES.
(a) Goals.--Congress urges the President to work with the world's
major foreign assistance donor countries to--
(1) develop a comprehensive and coordinated international
conservation assistance strategy consistent with the priorities
identified in the United States' International Conservation
Strategy established pursuant to section 201(a);
(2) identify innovative and efficient multilateral
mechanisms that can be used to coordinate international action
by all participating donor countries, identify and reduce
duplication of efforts among such donors, achieve the most cost
effective investments, and leverage international foreign
assistance with meaningful financial and other commitments in
recipient countries; and
(3) agree on a timetable for achieving the goals of the
United States' International Conservation Strategy.
(b) Venues.--Congress urges the President to explore opportunities
for achieving the goals identified in this section within the context
of United States bilateral diplomacy with other important international
donor countries, bilateral diplomacy with newly emerging donor
countries, and all appropriate multilateral venues.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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