Tiger Summit Gets Support from Senator John Kerry and Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo

IV
111TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION H. RES. 1722
Supporting international tiger conservation efforts and the upcoming Global
Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOVEMBER 17, 2010
Ms. BORDALLO (for herself, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Mr.
FALEOMAVAEGA, and Mr. GRIJALVA) submitted the following resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition
to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
RESOLUTION
Supporting international tiger conservation efforts and the
upcoming Global Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Whereas wild tiger populations have dwindled from approximately
100,000 at the beginning of the 20th century to
as few as 3,200 in 2010, and only approximately 1,000
wild tigers are breeding females;
Whereas tigers now occupy a mere 7 percent of the habitat
that tigers historically have occupied;
Whereas poaching, illegal wildlife trade, habitat conversion,
depletion of prey base, conflict between humans and wildlife,
and other pressures continue to threaten the last
wild tigers;
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.HRES 1722 IH
Whereas the remaining tiger habitat in Asia supports some
of the richest biodiversity and some of the poorest human
populations;
Whereas the remaining tiger habitat benefits local human
populations by providing watersheds and buffers against
natural disaster and contributing to livelihoods;
Whereas the remaining tiger habitat in Asia represents some
of the largest intact storehouses of terrestrial carbon on
Earth, containing an average of 31.2 times more carbon
than areas outside of tiger habitat;
Whereas the tiger, an iconic species worldwide, can act as
both a catalyst and a symbol for the conservation of the
last great forests of Asia;
Whereas 2010, the eeYear of the Tigerff in the Chinese calendar
and beyond, presents a global opportunity to commit
to halting the decline in tigers and to ensuring the
doubling of the numbers of tigers by the next eeYear of
the Tigerff in 2022;
Whereas the Government of Russia is hosting the Global
Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, on November
22 through 24, 2010;
Whereas at the Summit, all 13 countries with remaining wild
tiger populations are expected to commit to a Global
Tiger Recovery Program;
Whereas the remaining tiger habitat is located in remote
transnational areas, providing an opportunity for
transboundary cooperation among countries with remaining
wild tiger populations;
Whereas countries with remaining wild tiger populations need
the support and cooperation of the global community to
protect and restore wild tiger populations;
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.HRES 1722 IH
Whereas the United States has been a consistent leader in
supporting international tiger conservation; and
Whereas strong United States support for remaining wild
tiger populations, the Tiger Summit, and the Global
Tiger Recovery Program will be central to the success of
tiger conservation efforts: Now, therefore, be it
1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives.
2 (1) supports the goals of the Tiger Summit, as
3 such goals reinforce the interests of the United
4 States in recovering tigers in accordance with the
5 Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
6 seq.), the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of
7 1994 (16 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.), and the Convention
8 on International Trade in Endangered Species of
9 Wild Fauna and Flora, done at Washington March
10 3, 1973 (27 UST 1087; TIAS 8249);
11 (2) supports the efforts of United States Gov12
ernment agencies to prevent poaching of tigers and
13 to end trafficking in tigers and tiger parts, including
14 through cooperation with the governments of coun15
tries with remaining wild tiger populations in train16
ing, capacity building, and law enforcement;
17 (3) supports the efforts of the United States
18 Government to protect tigers in the wild and the
19 habitat of tigers through direct conservation assist20
ance;
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.HRES 1722 IH
1 (4) acknowledges the important role that tiger
2 habitats play in conserving biodiversity, securing for3
est carbon, protecting critical watersheds, providing
4 buffers against natural disasters, and supporting
5 livelihoods and human well-being in countries with
6 natural tiger populations;
7 (5) applauds the work of multilateral institu8
tions, governmental, and nongovernmental conserva9
tion and environmental organizations working to re10
cover tiger populations in the wild;
11 (6) commends the government of Russia for its
12 leadership in hosting the Tiger Summit, which
13 brings global attention to this important issue and
14 launches the immediate implementation of National
15 Tiger Recovery Priorities in each of the 13 countries
16 with natural tiger populations;
17 (7) reaffirms the commitment of the United
18 States Government to tiger conservation;
19 (8) encourages the highest level of United
20 States engagement in the Tiger Summit and in the
21 outcomes of the Tiger Summit, including the provi22
sion of support to countries with remaining wild
23 tiger populations in implementing the National Tiger
24 Recovery Priorities and the Global Tiger Recovery
25 Program; and
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.HRES 1722 IH
1 (9) urges concerted coordination among all rel2
evant United States agencies to provide support to
3 countries with remaining wild tiger populations in a
4 manner that enables United States resources to pro5
vide maximum conservation benefits.