Number: 1983-04
WHEREAS, in the United States and in the rest of the world terrestrial ecosystems continue to be modified among other things for agriculture, forestry, mining and water resource development; and
WHEREAS, in the United States and the rest of the world, islands, rivers, lakes, marshes, lagoons and wetlands continue to be physically and chemically altered to accommodate modern man’s activities; and
WHEREAS, man’s ever-expanding infringement on natural areas has led to a continual simplification of biological systems, which is causing great losses of plant and animal genetic resources; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that by the year 2000 as many as half a million to two million species (15 to 20 percent of all species on earth) might become extinct primarily because of habitat losses, and that thereafter extinctions would continue at an accelerating rate; and
WHEREAS, islands and other island-like ecosystems containing unique endemic species, the products of thousands of years of secluded evolution, are extremely vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances; and
WHEREAS, the biotas of oceanic and continental islands have been and continue to be severely decimated by the introduction of exotic animals and plants; and
WHEREAS, the unstudied and sometimes unclassified species of wild plants and animals that will disappear, if present trends continue, may have immense potential value as new sources of food, medicines and industrial raw materials; and
WHEREAS, wild and little known strains of our domesticated plants and animals, also threatened by unrestrained development, are an invaluable genetic resource which through interbreeding and genetic engineering can be used to produce higher yielding, faster growing, pest and disease resistant varieties; and
WHEREAS, setting aside large, biologically self-sustainable, blocks of terrestrial and marine ecosystems as biosphere reserves is of high priority to prevent the unwitting destruction of valuable genetic material before its value can be assessed; and
WHEREAS, ongoing research to determine the minimum critical size of such reserves, and to identify the crucial centers of greatest biological diversity needs continued and increasing financial support; and
WHEREAS, the countries with the greatest opportunity to set aside vast undisturbed areas of high ecological value are the countries of the tropics which can least afford it;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 17-20, 1983, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, hereby urges the U.S. Government to pursue its initial effort to develop a U.S. policy for the conservation of biological diversity (the U.S. Strategy Conference on Biological Diversity, November 1981) with concrete action such as the establishment of an inter-agency task force to formulate U.S. strategy in this area;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the U.S. Government to maintain and increase its financial and other support for research and conservation programs which focus on the maintenance of biological diversity, such as the Man and the Biosphere Program and the international programs of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges both the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. Government, and non-governmental organizations, to investigate, formulate and adopt novel funding mechanisms by which developed countries, which have vital stake in conservation of biological diversity worldwide, can amass the considerable financial resources required to make such conservation possible; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges the U.S. Government to review the actions and policies of U.S. AID, Peace Corps and other federally supported domestic and international programs to ensure that U.S. efforts are directed toward long-term conservation of biological diversity.