,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #cgb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,october  
#bb1 #bjai,mr4 ,udall 7for himself1 ,mr4
 ,bennet1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,ms4 ,harris1   
,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mr4   
,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mrs4       
,feinstein1 and ,ms4 ,warren7 submitted 
the following resolution2 which was     
referred to the ,committee on ,energy   
and ,natural ,resources  ,,resolution   
,expressing the sense of the ,senate    
that the ,federal ,government should    
establish a national goal of conserving 
at least #cj percent of the land and    
ocean of the ,united ,states by #bjcj4  
,whereas access to public land1 nature1 
and a healthy environment should be a   
right for all people1 as that access is 
essential to the health1 well-being1    
identity1 cultures1 and economic        
prosperity of the ,united ,states2      
,whereas the ,united ,states faces a    
conservation and climate crisis1 with   
nature in a steep decline and greenhouse

 gas emissions not declining at the rate
 scientists say is needed in the ,united
 ,states and worldwide2 ,whereas        
scientists are documenting a rapid loss 
of natural areas and wildlife in the    
,united ,states and throughout the      
world1 including--  7#a7 a finding that1
 from #bjja to #bjag1 a quantity of     
natural areas equal to the size of a    
football field disappeared to           
development every #cj seconds in the    
,united ,states1 constituting more than 
#a1ejj1jjj acres per year2  7#b7 a      
finding1 published in the journal       
,science1 that the ,united ,states and  
,canada have lost #b1ijj1jjj1jjj birds  
since #aigj1 representing a decline of  
#bi percent2  7#c7 the identification by
 ,state fish and game agencies of       
approximately #ab1jjj animal and plant  
species in the ,united ,states that     
require proactive conservation efforts  
to avoid extinction1 of which           
approximately #a_/c will be lost in the 
next decades2  7#d7 a finding by the    

,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife     
,service that the ,united ,states has   
lost more than #a_/b of all freshwater  
and saltwater wetlands in the contiguous
 #dh ,states2 and  7#e7 the #bjai       
findings by the ,intergovernmental      
,science-,policy ,platform on           
,biodiversity and ,ecosystem ,services  
that--  7,a7 human activities are       
damaging #b_/c of ocean areas2  7,b7    
only #c percent of ocean areas remain   
pristine2  7,c7 #ae percent of mangroves
 remain2  7,d7 #ej percent of coral     
reefs remain2 and  7,e7 at the current  
rate of losses1 less than #aj percent of
 the ,earth will be free of substantial 
human impact by #bjej2  ,whereas climate
 change is accelerating the decline of  
nature in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas 
the ,third ,national ,climate           
,assessment found that climate change-- 
7#a7 is reducing the ability of         
ecosystems to provide clean water and   
regulate water flows2  7#b7 is limiting 
the ability of nature to buffer         

communities against disasters such as   
fires1 storms1 and floods1 which        
disproportionately impacts communities  
of color and indigenous populations2 and
  7#c7 is having far-reaching effects on
 marine and terrestrial wildlife1       
including by altering habitats1 forcing 
changes to migratory patterns1 and      
altering the timing of biological       
events2  ,whereas the decline of natural
 areas and wildlife in the ,united      
,states follows global patterns1 as the 
,intergovernmental ,science-,policy     
,platform on ,biodiversity and          
,ecosystem ,services found that         
approximately #a1jjj1jjj plant and      
animal species are threatened by        
extinction over the coming decades as a 
result of land conversion1 development1 
climate change1 invasive species1       
pollution1 and other stressors2 ,whereas
 nature1 like the climate1 is nearing a 
tipping point where the continued loss  
and degradation of the natural          
environment will--  7#a7 push many      

ecosystems and wildlife species past the
 point of no return2  7#b7 threaten the 
health and economic prosperity of the   
,united ,states2 and  7#c7 increase the 
costs of natural disasters1 for which   
the ,federal ,government spent about    
#ia1jjj1jjj1jjj in #bjah2  ,whereas the 
existing protections for land1 the      
ocean1 and wildlife in the ,united      
,states are not sufficient to prevent a 
further decline of nature in the ,united
 ,states1 with--  7#a7 only #ab percent 
of the land area in the ,united ,states 
permanently protected1 mostly in ,alaska
 and the ,west2 and  7#b7 only #bf      
percent of ,federal ocean territory     
permanently protected1 the vast majority
 of which is in the remote western      
,pacific ,ocean or northwestern ,hawaii2
  ,whereas the ,united ,states has      
historically demonstrated leadership and
 resolve to protect1 conserve1 and      
restore the natural environment1        
including through a network of protected
 areas2 ,whereas that network of        

protected areas is protected and        
supported by a variety of conservation  
laws passed at other times of crisis2   
,whereas the ,united ,states-- 7#a7     
ranks among the top #e countries in the 
world for the amount of                 
wilderness-quality land and ocean       
remaining2 and  7#b7 has the            
conservation experience and traditions  
necessary to make great strides in the  
protection of the remaining natural     
areas in the ,united ,states for future 
generations2  ,whereas the ,federal     
,government1 the private sector1 civil  
society1 farmers1 ranchers1 fishing     
communities1 and sportsmen have a       
history of working together to conserve 
the land and ocean of the ,united       
,states2 ,whereas the ,exclusive        
,economic ,zone of the ,united ,states1 
consisting of waters within #bjj miles  
of the coastline--  7#a7 covers         
#d1ejj1jjj square miles2  7#b7 is #bc   
percent larger than the landmass of the 
,united ,states2 and  7#c7 provides a   

home to various ocean habitats and      
ecosystems1 including-- 7,a7 coral      
reefs2  7,b7 kelp forests2  7,c7        
mangroves2  7,d7 seagrass beds2 and     
7,e7 deep-sea corals2  ,whereas         
conserving and restoring nature is one  
of the most efficient and cost-effective
 strategies for fighting climate change2
 ,whereas1 to confront the deterioration
 of natural systems and the loss of     
biodiversity around the world1 and to   
remain below a #a4e degrees ,celsius    
increase in average global temperature1 
scientists recommend that roughly #a_/b 
of the planet be conserved2 and         
,whereas1 as a step toward achieving    
that goal1 some scientists have         
recommended that all countries commit to
 conserving and protecting at least #cj 
percent of the land and #cj percent of  
the ocean in each country by #bjcj1 with
 a long-term goal of conserving #a_/b of
 the planet3 ,now1 therefore1 be it     
,that it is the sense of the ,senate    
that-- 7#a7 given the evidence as of    

,october #bjai1 the ,federal ,government
 should establish a national goal of    
conserving at least #cj percent of the  
land and #cj percent of the ocean within
 the territory of the ,united ,states by
 #bjcj2  7#b7 the goal described in     
paragraph 7#a7 should be accomplished   
through an effort that includes the     
objectives of--  7,a7 working with local
 communities1 ,indian ,tribes1 ,states1 
and private landowners to conserve      
natural places and resources2  7,b7     
improving access to nature for all      
people in the ,united ,states1 including
 for communities of color and           
economically disadvantaged communities2 
7,c7 sequestering carbon and greenhouse 
gas emissions in the land and ocean of  
the ,united ,states2  7,d7 increasing   
public incentives for private landowners
 to voluntarily conserve and protect    
areas of demonstrated conservation value
 and with a high capacity to sequester  
carbon and greenhouse gas emissions2    
7,e7 focusing work at a large-landscape 

scale that is biologically and          
ecologically meaningful2  7,f7          
preventing extinction by recovering and 
restoring animal and plant species2     
7,g7 stabilizing ecosystems and the     
services of ecosystems1 restoring       
degraded ecosystems1 and maintaining    
ecological functions2 and  7,h7         
increasing economic opportunities for   
farmers1 ranchers1 fishermen1 and       
foresters2 and  7#c7 the goal described 
in paragraph 7#a7 and the objectives    
described in paragraph 7#b7 should be   
accomplished through an effort that--   
7,a7 makes science the foundation of    
conservation decisions by providing     
communities access to sound1 up-to-date 
scientific information about--  7i7 the 
land and waters around those            
communities2 and  7ii7 how the land and 
waters around those communities are     
changing in a warming world2  7,b7      
respects ,tribal sovereignty and the    
right to ,tribal self-determination so  
that ,american ,indian1 ,alaska ,native1

 and ,native ,hawaiian communities can  
fulfill what each views as priorities   
for the stewardship of the natural1     
cultural1 and historic resources of the 
community2  7,c7 protects private       
property rights and traditional land    
uses and enables land owners to pass    
down the working land of those land     
owners to the next generation because   
private land accounts for approximately 
#fj percent of the land area in the     
contiguous #dh ,states2  7,d7 addresses 
environmental justice and the necessity 
of a more equitable distribution of the 
benefits of nature to all people1       
including communities of color and      
economically disadvantaged communities2 
7,e7 takes into account a wide range of 
flexible and enduring conservation      
solutions2  7,f7 involves the design and
 implementation of objectives and       
strategies locally and regionally2 and  
7,g7 provides tools and resources to    
ensure that the areas described in      
subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,c7 are     

effectively managed for conservation    
values and to sequester carbon and      
greenhouse gas emissions4