[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 91 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 91
Designating March 3, 2019, as ``World Wildlife Day''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 28, 2019
Mr. Coons (for himself and Mr. Portman) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
March 12, 2019
Committee discharged; considered and agreed to with an amended preamble
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Designating March 3, 2019, as ``World Wildlife Day''.
Whereas wildlife has provided numerous economic, environmental, social, and
cultural benefits during the course of human history and wildlife
conservation will secure those gifts for future generations;
Whereas plant and animal species play an important role in the stability of
diverse ecosystems around the world and the conservation of that
biodiversity is critical to maintain the delicate balance of nature and
keep complex ecosystems thriving;
Whereas millions of individuals in the United States strongly support the
conservation of wildlife, both domestically and abroad, and wish to
ensure the survival of species in the wild;
Whereas the trafficking of wildlife, including timber and fish, comprises the
fourth largest global illegal trade after narcotics, the counterfeiting
of products and currency, and human trafficking and has become a major
transnational organized crime with an estimated worth of as much as
$23,000,000,000 annually;
Whereas increased demand in Asia for high-value illegal wildlife products,
particularly elephant ivory and rhinoceros horns, has triggered
substantial and rapid increases in poaching of those species;
Whereas the trafficking of wildlife is a primary threat to many wildlife
species, including elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, pangolins, and
sharks;
Whereas many different kinds of criminals, including some terrorist entities and
rogue security personnel, often in collusion with corrupt government
officials, are involved in wildlife poaching and the movement of ivory
and rhinoceros horns across Africa;
Whereas wildlife poaching presents significant security and stability challenges
for military and police forces in African nations that are often
threatened by heavily armed poachers and the criminal, extremist allies
of those poachers;
Whereas wildlife poaching negatively impacts local communities that rely on
natural resources for economic development, including through tourism;
Whereas assisting institutions in developing nations, including by providing
material, training, legal, and diplomatic support, can reduce illegal
wildlife trade;
Whereas wildlife provides a multitude of benefits to all nations and wildlife
crime has wide-ranging economic, environmental, and social impacts;
Whereas the African Elephant Status Report 2016 issued by the International
Union for Conservation of Nature revealed that the elephant population
of Africa has recently seen a dramatic decline, mainly due to poaching,
and the continental population is now thought to be approximately
415,000;
Whereas, from 2007 to 2012, the number of elephants killed in Kenya increased by
more than 800 percent, from 47 to 387 elephants killed;
Whereas, between 2002 and 2013, as a result of poaching, about 65 percent of the
forest elephant population in Central Africa was killed and forest
elephants lost 30 percent of the geographical range of forest elephants,
placing forest elephants on track for extinction in the next decade;
Whereas fewer than 50,000 wild Asian elephants remain and poaching of these
populations is on the rise, with an average of 1 elephant poached every
week in Burma, driven by demand for elephant skin products;
Whereas the number of rhinoceroses killed by poachers in South Africa--
(1) dramatically increased from 13 in 2007 to 1,215 in 2014, an
increase of more than 9,000 percent; and
(2) was 769 in 2018;
Whereas--
(1) the 3 species of Asian rhinoceroses also remain under constant
threat of poaching; and
(2) the total populations of Javan and Sumatran rhinoceros number fewer
than 100 individuals in the wild;
Whereas fewer than 4,000 tigers remain in the wild throughout Asia;
Whereas pangolins are often referred to as the most trafficked mammal in the
world;
Whereas all 8 pangolin species spanning Africa and Asia are faced with
extinction because pangolin scales are sought after in the practice of
traditional Chinese medicine and pangolin meat is considered a delicacy;
Whereas the oceans--
(1) cover \3/4\ of the surface of the Earth;
(2) contain 97 percent of the water on the Earth;
(3) represent 99 percent of the living space on the earth by volume;
and
(4) contain nearly 200,000 identified animal species;
Whereas the global market value of marine and coastal resources and industries
is estimated to be approximately $3,000,000,000,000 per year,
representing about 5 percent of global gross domestic product;
Whereas more than 3,000,000,000 people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity
for their livelihoods;
Whereas an estimated 8,000,000 metric tons of plastic enter the ocean every
year, harming a wide range of wildlife species;
Whereas illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (referred to in this
preamble as ``IUU fishing'') represents a multibillion dollar criminal
industry that--
(1) undercuts the economic livelihoods of legitimate fishermen;
(2) weakens marine animal populations;
(3) could potentially pose a threat to international security; and
(4) threatens food security for communities around the world;
Whereas overfishing--
(1) contributes to the rapid depletion of many species of fish; and
(2) hinders efforts to save and restore global fisheries and the jobs
relating to those fisheries;
Whereas millions of sharks are killed every year in illegal, unreported, and
unregulated fisheries, often targeted solely for their fins, and
unsustainable trade is the primary cause of serious population decline
in several shark species, including scalloped hammerhead sharks, great
hammerhead sharks, and oceanic whitetip sharks;
Whereas the vaquita porpoise of Mexico, with fewer than 14 individual porpoises
remaining, is being driven to extinction;
Whereas penal and financial deterrents can--
(1) improve the ability of governments to reduce poaching, trafficking,
and IUU fishing; and
(2) enhance the capabilities of those governments to manage their
resources;
Whereas the United States is developing and implementing measures to address the
criminal, financial, security, and environmental aspects of wildlife
trafficking;
Whereas Congress has allocated specific resources to combat wildlife trafficking
and IUU fishing and address additional threats to wildlife;
Whereas Congress passed the Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt Wildlife
Trafficking Act of 2016 (16 U.S.C. 7601 et seq.) to strengthen the
response of the United States to the global wildlife trafficking crisis;
Whereas Congress passed the Save Our Seas Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-265; 132
Stat. 3742)--
(1) to address land- and sea-based sources of marine debris; and
(2) to promote international action to reduce the incidence of marine
debris;
Whereas, in December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March
3 as World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the wild
fauna and flora around the world;
Whereas March 3, 2019, represents the sixth annual celebration of World Wildlife
Day;
Whereas, in 2019, the theme of World Wildlife Day is ``Life below water: for
people and planet''; and
Whereas, in 2019, World Wildlife Day commemorations will--
(1) raise awareness about the breathtaking diversity of marine life;
(2) highlight the crucial importance of marine species to human
development; and
(3) encourage future generations to continue efforts to protect marine
ecosystems: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates March 3, 2019, as ``World Wildlife Day'';
(2) supports raising awareness of the benefits that
wildlife provides to people and the threats facing wildlife
around the world;
(3) supports escalating the fight against wildlife crime,
including wildlife trafficking and illegal, unreported, and
unregulated fishing;
(4) applauds the domestic and international efforts to
escalate the fight against wildlife crime;
(5) commends the efforts of the United States to mobilize
the entire Federal Government in a coordinated, efficient, and
effective manner for dramatic progress in the fight against
wildlife crime; and
(6) encourages continued cooperation between the United
States, international partners, local communities, nonprofit
organizations, private industry, and other partner
organizations in an effort to conserve and celebrate wildlife,
preserving this precious resource for future generations.
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