,,iv #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #abdg ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #b1 #bjbj,mr4 ,neguse 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,lowenthal1 and ,mr4 ,huffman7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,natural ,resources ,,resolution ,expressing the need for the ,federal ,government to establish a ,national ,biodiversity ,strategy for protecting biodiversity for current and future generations4 ,whereas the planet is facing an unprecedented biodiversity crisis1 largely driven by human activity2 ,whereas recent scientific studies have confirmed human-driven activities are significantly damaging the ,earth's ecosystems by-- 7#a7 altering #ge percent of the area of terrestrial environments and #ff percent of marine environments2 7#b7 directly exploiting wildlife and plant species2 7#c7 accelerating climate change1 directly harming nature and exacerbating other threats2 7#d7 polluting air1 land1 and water2 and 7#e7 introducing invasive species2 ,whereas these studies have shown that human-driven threats have harmed biodiversity by-- 7#a7 threatening approximately one million species with extinction now and in the coming decades1 including-- 7,a7 over #dj percent of amphibians2 7,b7 #cc percent of corals1 sharks1 shark relatives1 and marine mammals2 7,c7 over #fj percent of cycads and over #cj percent of conifer trees2 and 7,d7 about #aj percent of over #e million insect species2 and 7#b7 causing population sizes of wild species to decline by-- 7,a7 an average of #fh percent for mammals1 birds1 fish1 amphibians1 and reptiles2 7,b7 nearly #c billion birds in ,north ,america since #aigj2 7,c7 about #ej percent for live corals2 and 7,d7 an average of over #bj percent overall2 ,whereas human activity is accelerating the decline of important economic and cultural services1 with-- 7#a7 the productivity of nearly one-fourth of the land surface reduced2 7#b7 over one-third of land surface and #ge percent of freshwater resources devoted to crop or livestock production2 7#c7 about half a trillion dollars of global crops at risk from pollinator loss2 7#d7 one-third of marine fisheries overfished1 #fj percent fished at capacity1 and just #g percent fished below capacity2 and 7#e7 #be percent of greenhouse gas emissions caused by land clearing1 crops1 and fertilization2 ,whereas the decline of biodiversity disproportionately impacts indigenous and other communities that rely on nature for essential services1 including ,native ,americans and ,alaska ,natives who offer unique perspectives and traditional ecological knowledge critical to preserving biodiversity2 ,whereas the decline of biodiversity and ecosystem services observed worldwide is occurring in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,united ,states possesses an abundance and great diversity of species of fish1 wildlife1 and plants that are of significant value to the ,united ,states for aesthetic1 ecological1 educational1 cultural1 recreational1 economic1 and scientific reasons2 ,whereas the decline of biodiversity presents a direct threat to the security1 health1 and well-being of the people of the ,united ,states by causing economic harm through the loss of valuable ecosystem services such as zoonotic disease buffering1 pollination1 water filtration1 soil replenishment1 the provision of game species1 medicinal products1 recreational opportunities1 and others2 ,whereas communities of color1 low-income communities1 ,tribal communities1 and other populations that have been systematically and deliberately targeted for siting environmentally degrading activities1 and excluded from conservation efforts1 face disproportionate impacts from biodiversity loss2 ,whereas ,federal agencies are tasked with protecting and conserving biodiversity in the ,united ,states and worldwide through a variety of legal and policy channels2 ,whereas there is no coordinating policy to maximize the effectiveness of the ,federal ,government's conservation efforts and collaboration with the ,states1 local governments1 ,tribes1 private landowners1 and other nongovernmental stakeholders2 ,whereas the ,united ,states should play a leading role on the international stage in addressing the biodiversity crisis2 yet the ,united ,states-- 7#a7 is not a party to the ,convention on ,biological ,diversity2 7#b7 does not issue a national biodiversity outlook1 contrary to most other nations2 and 7#c7 does not have a ,national ,biodiversity ,strategy as part of the ,intergovernmental ,science-,policy ,platform on ,biodiversity and ,ecosystem ,services2 and ,whereas scientific research highlights essential pathways forward1 including-- 7#a7 establishing protected areas networks encompassing at least #cj percent of the environment by #bjcj for biodiversity and climate2 7#b7 restoring degraded habitats and ensuring connectivity of protected areas2 7#c7 reducing pesticide use to levels no higher than needed for maintaining food production2 and 7#d7 addressing the threats posed by invasive species3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that it is the sense of the ,house of ,representatives that-- 7#a7 it is in the national interest for the ,federal ,government to establish a ,national ,biodiversity ,strategy to-- 7,a7 ensure the conservation of the ,nation's biodiversity2 7,b7 secure and restore the ecosystem services provided by nature for current and future generations2 7,c7 set ambitious yet necessary goals for protecting biodiversity in the coming decades2 7,d7 promote social equity and justice in the conservation of the ,nation's biodiversity2 7,e7 coordinate the actions of ,federal agencies to advance the conservation of biodiversity2 7,f7 promote collaboration among the ,federal1 ,state1 and ,tribal governments and non-governmental stakeholders to advance conservation2 7,g7 honor the ,federal trust obligations to ,tribal nations and ,native ,americans2 and 7,h7 provide global leadership in addressing the biodiversity crisis2 and 7#b7 the ,national ,biodiversity ,strategy should include direction on-- 7,a7 setting a national goal of protecting at least #cj percent of ,united ,states lands and waters to conserve biodiversity and address climate change by #bjcj and other goals necessary to reduce the threats to biodiversity as indicated by the best available scientific information2 7,b7 affirming the need to protect threatened1 endangered1 and at-risk species from further imperilment or extinction2 7,c7 climate adaptation and mitigation strategies for biodiversity conservation1 including-- 7i7 joining and leading international agreements to combat climate change1 such as the ,paris ,agreement2 7ii7 establishing climate refugia and climate corridors for conservation of species affected by climate change2 and 7iii7 the rapid build-out of renewable energy2 7,d7 reviewing existing laws1 plans1 programs1 and strategies that are relevant to addressing threats to biodiversity to assess how they can contribute to the objectives of this resolution and1 as found necessary1 to recommend new laws1 plans1 programs1 and strategies2 7,e7 ensuring integration of biodiversity protection across the activities of the ,federal ,government2 7,f7 advancing conservation in collaboration with the ,state and ,tribal governments and on private lands through funding1 technical support1 and partnerships2 7,g7 incorporating indigenous knowledge and practices to support conservation and biodiversity1 and ensuring fulfillment of the ,federal trust obligations that apply to government decisionmaking that impacts the interests of ,native ,americans2 7,h7 means to ensure equitable access to nature1 inclusive decisionmaking on biodiversity protection1 and just allocations of resources to achieve the goals of this resolution1 including for systematically and deliberately targeted populations such as communities of color1 low-income communities1 and ,native ,american communities2 7,i7 establishing regular monitoring and reporting on the status of the ,nation's biodiversity1 including a quadrennial assessment reported to ,congress and the ,american people2 7,j7 prioritizing programs to identify knowledge gaps and accelerate research and development of new conservation solutions across sectors2 and 7,k7 funding existing conservation programs1 developing new funding sources1 and reducing subsidies that harm biodiversity1 in amounts commensurate with the scale of the challenge4