Number: 1998-01
WHEREAS, over 1,100 plant and animal species in the U.S. have been listed as threatened or endangered pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and many additional U.S. species are imperiled or likely to become imperiled in the near future in the absence of increased conservation measures; and
WHEREAS, more than half of the U.S. species protected by the ESA have at least 81 percent of their habitat on state, private and other non-federal land; and
WHEREAS, Habitat Conservation Plans or similar plans(Plans) are an important tool for the recovery of threatened and endangered species on non-federal lands and for the safeguarding of associated species and ecosystems; and
WHEREAS, development and implementation of scientifically sound Plans are critical to ensure long-term protection and management of habitat necessary to the recovery of imperiled species; and
WHEREAS, a process of independent scientific input and peer review is an effective method of ensuring that Plans are developed using the best available scientific data and expertise; and
WHEREAS, because nature is dynamic and unpredictable, an essential feature of Plans is an “adaptive management” strategy that contains at a minimum the following three components: (1) the landowner anticipates changed circumstances and commits to plan modifications in response; (2) the landowner and wildlife agency regularly monitor the Plans’ biological performance; and (3) the parties modify the Plan as necessary to ensure that the plan is operating consistently with species recovery; and
WHEREAS, a reliable funding mechanism is needed to ensure that Plans are implemented and modifications will be made when necessary to ensure the recovery of imperiled species; and
WHEREAS, citizen participation and enforcement are critical to ensuring that Plans are developed and implemented for the benefit of imperiled species and ecosystems; and
WHEREAS, regulatory assurances (i.e., assurances to non- federal landowners that their ESA obligations will not go beyond those stated in their Plans) provide powerful incentives for landowners to develop Plans; and
WHEREAS, regulatory assurances, when combined with independent scientific input and peer review, adaptive management, reliable funding for Plan development and implementation, and citizen participation and enforcement, can be used to encourage the development of scientifically sound Plans;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in its Annual Meeting assembled March 19-22,1998, in Alexandria, Virginia, supports the development and implementation of scientifically sound Habitat Conservation Plans or similar plans (Plans) as a tool for achieving the recovery of periled species and safeguarding associated species and ecosystems; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges federal policymakers to incorporate the following essential safeguards into Plan policies:
- In developing Plans, federal wildlife agencies must solicit and use information and expert advice from independent scientists; and
- Adaptive management strategies must be incorporated into Plans to ensure that the Plans are modified to incorporate new information and changed conditions; and
- A reliable funding mechanism must be established to ensure that Plans are implemented and are modified when necessary to ensure the recovery of imperiled species; and
- Federal wildlife agencies must guarantee meaningful citizen participation in plan development and implementation; and
- The citizen enforcement provisions of the ESA must be available to ensure Plan compliance; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that non-federal landowners should be given regulatory assurances in return for developing scientifically sound Plans that contain essential safeguards for imperiled species.