,i #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dhai ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #ah1 #bjah,mr4 ,fortenberry 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,royce of ,california1 ,ms4 ,mc,collum1 ,mr4 ,cuellar1 ,mr4 ,engel1 ,ms4 ,ros-,lehtinen1 ,ms4 ,kelly of ,illinois1 ,mrs4 ,lawrence1 and ,ms4 ,bass7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to promote inclusive economic growth through conservation and biodiversity programs that facilitate transboundary cooperation1 improve natural resource management1 and build local capacity to protect and preserve threatened wildlife species in the greater ,okavango ,river ,basin of southern ,africa4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,defending ,economic ,livelihoods and ,threatened ,animals ,act or the ,,delta ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the greater ,okavango ,river ,basin1 which ranges from the highland plateau of northern ,angola to northeastern ,namibia and northern ,botswana1 is the largest freshwater wetland in southern ,africa4 7#b7 ,the greater ,okavango ,river ,basin is the main source of water and livelihoods for over a million people1 and the effective management and protection of this critical watershed will help advance important conservation and economic growth objectives for such countries1 local communities1 and the broader region4 7#c7 ,the greater ,okavango ,river ,basin is home to the largest remaining elephant population in the world1 as well as other threatened wildlife species4 7#d7 ,poaching and trafficking of threatened wildlife species in the greater ,okavango ,river ,basin has increased in recent years1 and has the potential to undermine regional stability by disrupting local governance and management of resources1 and supplanting key economic opportunities for community members4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that it is in the strategic interest of the ,united ,states to engage with the ,governments of ,angola1 ,botswana1 and ,namibia1 along with donors1 regional organizations1 nongovernmental organizations1 local communities1 and the private sector1 to advance conservation efforts and promote economic growth and stability in the greater ,okavango ,river ,basin4 #d4 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states to promote inclusive economic growth through conservation and biodiversity programs that facilitate transboundary cooperation1 improve natural resource management1 and build local capacity to protect and preserve threatened wildlife species in the greater ,okavango ,river ,basin4 #e4 ,strategy 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state and the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 in coordination with other relevant ,federal agencies1 shall seek to work with the ,governments of ,angola1 ,botswana1 and ,namibia1 and in partnership with donors1 regional organizations1 nongovernmental organizations1 local communities1 and the private sector1 to develop a strategy to-- 7#a7 create and advance a cooperative framework to promote sustainable natural resource and wildlife management practices in the greater ,okavango ,river ,basin2 7#b7 protect traditional migration routes of elephants and other threatened wildlife species2 7#c7 combat wildlife poaching and trafficking2 7#d7 address human health and development needs of local communities2 and 7#e7 catalyze economic growth in such countries and across the broader region4 7b7 ,elements ,the strategy established pursuant to subsection 7a7 shall include a description of efforts to-- 7#a7 promote cooperative and sustainable natural resource and wildlife management policies and practices within and among the countries of ,angola1 ,botswana1 and ,namibia1 with a particular focus on the greater ,okavango ,river ,basin2 7#b7 protect and restore wildlife habitats and traditional migratory patterns of elephants and other threatened species2 7#c7 combat wildlife poaching and trafficking in ,angola1 ,botswana1 and ,namibia1 including within regional and national parks and reserves1 by building the capacity of the governments of such countries1 local law enforcement1 community leaders1 and park rangers to detect1 disrupt1 and prosecute poachers and traffickers2 7#d7 promote conservation as a foundation for inclusive economic growth and development within a comprehensive assistance strategy that places ,angola1 ,botswana1 and ,namibia on a trajectory toward graduation from the need for foreign assistance2 7#e7 identify opportunities and mechanisms to leverage public-private partnerships to contribute to support the implementation of this strategy2 and 7#f7 establish monitoring and evaluation mechanisms1 to include measurable goals1 objectives1 and benchmarks of success1 that are included in grants1 contracts1 cooperative agreements to ensure the effective use of ,united ,states foreign assistance4 #f4 ,united ,states support for responsible natural resource management and elephant conservation 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state and the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 in coordination with other relevant ,federal agencies1 are authorized to prioritize and advance ongoing efforts to-- 7#a7 promote inclusive economic growth through responsible natural resource management and wildlife protection activities in the greater ,okavango ,river ,basin2 7#b7 provide technical assistance to governments and local communities in ,angola1 ,botswana1 and ,namibia to create a policy-enabling environment for such natural resource management and wildlife protection activities2 and 7#c7 build the capacity of local law enforcement1 park rangers1 and community leaders to combat wildlife poaching and trafficking4 7b7 ,coordination with private sector ,the ,secretary1 the ,administrator1 and other relevant ,federal agencies are authorized to work with the private sector and nongovernmental organizations to leverage public and private capital to promote sustainable resource management1 combat wildlife poaching and trafficking1 and support inclusive economic growth and local livelihoods in the greater ,okavango ,river ,basin4 7c7 ,monitoring and ,evaluation ,the ,secretary and the ,administrator shall establish monitoring and evaluation mechanisms1 to include measurable goals1 objectives1 and benchmarks1 to ensure the effective use of ,united ,states foreign assistance to achieve the objectives of this ,act4 #g4 ,report 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state and the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 in coordination with other relevant ,federal agencies1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the implementation of this ,act4 7b7 ,matters ,to be included ,the report required under subsection 7a7 shall include a description of the strategy required by section #e1 including-- 7#a7 the monitoring and evaluation plans and indicators used to measure performance under the strategy2 7#b7 any legislative impediments to meeting the objectives of such strategy2 7#c7 the extent to which ,angola1 ,botswana1 and ,namibia have demonstrated a commitment and willingness to cooperate to advance efforts described in section #e7;b72 and 7#d7 progress made to date in meeting the objectives of such strategy4 7c7 ,definition ,in this section1 the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7#b7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate4