,,iv  #aahth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #dcj  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,may #bb1 #bjbc,mr4 
,beyer 7for himself and ,ms4 ,stansbury7
 submitted the following resolution2    
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,natural ,resources1 and in addition to 
the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 for
 a period to be subsequently determined 
by the ,speaker1 in each case for       
consideration of such provisions as fall
 within the jurisdiction of the         
committee concerned  ,,resolution       
,expressing the need for protecting and 
conserving at least #ej percent of the  
land1 freshwater1 and ocean ecosystems  
in the ,united ,states and encouraging  
diplomatic community efforts to achieve 
this goal worldwide4  ,whereas the      
,earth is facing a crisis of            
biodiversity loss and species           
extinction2 ,whereas there has been an  
average #fi-percent decrease in         
population sizes of mammals1 birds1     
amphibians1 reptiles1 and fish between  

#aigj and #bjah2 ,whereas the recent    
global rate of species extinction is at 
least tens-to-hundreds of times higher  
than the average rate over the past ten 
million years and has increased sharply 
since #aijj2 ,whereas today more than   
one million plants and animal species   
are threatened with extinction2 ,whereas
 climate change increases the risks of  
species extinction and irreversible loss
 of biodiversity1 presenting an         
existential crisis for humans and       
millions of other species around the    
world2 ,whereas human-driven changes in 
land and sea use are drivers of both    
biodiversity loss and climate change2   
,whereas ecosystems such as forests1    
wetlands1 grasslands1 and mangroves can 
sequester large amounts of carbon1 and  
protecting these areas and their        
wildlife populations can mitigate       
climate change by preventing carbon from
 being released into the atmosphere2    
,whereas conserving and restoring       
natural ecosystems provides greater net 

economic benefits than destroying       
natural spaces and wildlife for profit2 
,whereas industries that do not harm    
biodiversity1 such as the outdoor       
recreation industry that supported #d4e 
million jobs across the ,united ,states 
and accounted for #hfb billion in gross 
output in #bjba1 enable individuals to  
have meaningful careers outside in      
nature2 ,whereas establishing protected 
natural areas can contribute many       
benefits to people1 including by--  7#a7
 mitigating effects of climate change   
and buffering the impacts of extreme    
weather events2  7#b7 providing cleaner 
drinking water2  7#c7 reducing air      
pollution2  7#d7 being a source of new  
medicines2  7#e7 reducing local rates of
 infectious diseases and broader risk of
 zoonotic spillover that can contribute 
to pandemics2 and  7#f7 supporting      
pollinators and other beneficial species
 for food production1 globally valued at
 up to more than five hundred billion   
dollars2  ,whereas access to nature     

ensures cultural and spiritual          
enrichment1 as well as physical and     
mental health benefits2 ,whereas all    
life depends on essential ecosystems1   
and1 therefore1 damaging or erasing them
 can have a profound impact on          
biodiversity and human health and       
well-being2 ,whereas inequitable        
policies have led to a targeted denuding
 of biodiversity in communities of      
color1 low-income communities1 and      
,tribal communities1 creating great harm
 and preventing these communities from  
having equal access to the benefits of  
biodiversity2 ,whereas the degradation  
and destruction of natural habitat is   
the primary cause of biological         
diversity loss at every level2 ,whereas 
only by the preservation and            
conservation of substantial1 more       
natural1 intact habitat than previously 
envisioned can human-driven extinctions 
be eliminated2 ,whereas the late        
,american biologist ,e4,o4 ,wilson      
estimated that protecting half of the   

,earth's surface would ensure the       
sustainable persistence of #he percent  
of the planet's species1 and with it1   
global biodiversity2 ,whereas the       
conservation science community has      
developed robust tools to inform the    
identification of natural habitats that 
provide the best opportunity to         
safeguard species2 ,whereas area-based  
conservation goals are key to averting  
biodiversity loss and can be achieved   
through collaborative efforts1          
including--  7#a7 public-private        
partnerships1 which play a notable role 
in conservation within the ,united      
,states and around the world2  7#b7     
stewardship of local communities on the 
ground and indigenous peoples1 honoring 
their rights to lands1 territories1 and 
resources2 and  7#c7 international      
cooperation2 and ,whereas the ,america  
the ,beautiful ,initiative and its goal 
of conserving #cj percent of land1      
freshwater1 and ocean ecosystems in the 
,united ,states by #bjcj is a crucial   

first step to protecting biodiversity   
and mitigating the effects of climate   
change3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that it
 is the sense of the ,house of          
,representatives that-- 7#a7 the ,earth 
is facing an imminent crisis from the   
extinction of species and the decline of
 biodiversity2 and  7#b7 ,congress      
should work to support protecting and   
conserving at least #ej percent of the  
land1 freshwater1 and ocean ecosystems  
in the ,united ,states and encourage    
diplomatic community efforts to achieve 
this goal worldwide1 including early and
 often stakeholder consultation to      
ensure just impacts and transition4