Title II — Policy planning and implementation

H.R. 2935 · 113th Congress · Aug 1, 2013 · Lineage

II Policy planning and implementation

Sec. 201 United States international conservation strategy

(a)

In general— Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President, acting through the Interagency Working Group on International Conservation designated pursuant to section 202(a), shall establish and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a comprehensive strategy (hereafter referred to as the “International Conservation Strategy”) to strengthen the capacity of the United States to collaborate with other countries, international organizations, the private sector, and private voluntary organizations on a sustained international effort to conserve natural resources and enhance biodiversity in a manner beneficial to the economic well-being and security of the United States and other participating countries.

(b)

Goals and benchmarks— The International Conservation Strategy established pursuant to subsection (a) shall provide a plan of action that identifies specific and measurable goals, benchmarks, and time frames for—

(1)

advancing conservation in the world’s most ecologically and economically important terrestrial and marine ecosystems;

(2)

supporting distinct hotspot regions that provide a high level of economic benefit to human communities as well as a high concentration of genetic and other natural resources;

(3)

helping developing countries address illegal, unreported, and unregulated industrial fishing where economies are negatively impacted by depleted fish stocks;

(4)

safeguarding natural areas that provide fresh water to developing countries;

(5)

supporting enforcement efforts against illegal logging in centers of the illegal logging trade;

(6)

supporting enforcement efforts against poaching and unlawful wildlife trafficking operations;

(7)

facilitating and leveraging the economic and conservation benefits that derive from properly managed international hunting, angling, and wildlife observation tourism;

(8)

stabilizing or reversing renewable natural resource scarcity and degradation trends in regions that are vulnerable to conflict, instability, or mass migration from natural resource depletion and wildlife trafficking;

(9)

expanding substantially the amount of economically and ecologically significant forest in developing countries; and

(10)

reducing the rate of erosion and desertification in developing countries where soil loss is resulting in severe impacts to the economy, food security, or stability.

(c)

Coordination and leverage— The International Conservation Strategy shall coordinate and leverage the participation of relevant executive branch agencies, other countries, the private sector, and private voluntary organizations in ways that—

(1)

reflect Government-wide policy that encompasses the programs of, and reduces duplication among, executive branch agencies that influence, engage in, or support international conservation;

(2)

provide a plan to identify and improve United States policies that could be undermining the conservation of critical natural resources and biodiversity abroad; and

(3)

seek to encourage and leverage participation from governments of developing countries and other governments, the private sector, private voluntary organizations, and international organizations to implement the Strategy.

(d)

Assessing and improving effectiveness— The International Conservation Strategy shall include a description of the performance and efficiency measures developed pursuant to section 202(a)(2)(C) and a process for their utilization.

(e)

Country ownership— In preparing the International Conservation Strategy, the Interagency Working Group on International Conservation shall ensure that the Strategy is appropriate to local needs and conditions and incorporates the views of partner countries, and describes a means for local citizens to participate in the implementation and the setting of priorities of such programs in the field. The International Conservation Strategy should build upon partner country development plans and regional strategies.

(f)

Revision— Not later than 4 years after the International Conservation Strategy is established, and every 4 years thereafter, the Strategy shall be revised to reflect—

(1)

new information collected pursuant to the implementation of the Strategy; and

(2)

advances in the understanding of biological diversity and the economic and security impacts of renewable natural resource degradation.

Sec. 202 Policy implementation

(a)

Interagency working group on international conservation—

(1)

Establishment— Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall establish the Interagency Working Group on International Conservation (hereafter referred to as the “working group”), which shall include the participation of the executive branch agencies that affect, oversee, or implement programs that conduct or support international conservation activities or affect the ability of the United States to achieve the goals of the International Conservation Strategy.

(2)

Duties— The working group shall—

(A)

develop, through utilization of the report completed pursuant to section 101(b) and appropriate public and agency input, the International Conservation Strategy established pursuant to section 201(a);

(B)

identify measures to enhance program and policy coordination among the relevant executive branch agencies in implementing the Strategy by ensuring that each relevant executive branch agency undertakes programs primarily in those areas where each such agency has the greatest expertise, technical capabilities, and potential for success, and ensuring that agencies avoid duplication of effort;

(C)

work with the Office of Management and Budget to evaluate the effectiveness of the international conservation programs of the relevant executive branch agencies in meeting the goals of the Strategy by developing and applying specific performance measurements, including assessments of—

(i)

program effectiveness;

(ii)

program efficiency and cost-effectiveness;

(iii)

program accessibility and transparency; and

(iv)

agency overhead or project administration costs for programs operating in the field;

(D)

submit to the heads of the United States Government departments and agencies represented on the working group programmatic recommendations that are consistent with the priorities of the Strategy and policy recommendations to ensure that the polices of such departments and agencies advance the interests of the United States in conserving critical natural resources and biodiversity;

(E)

submit to such heads recommendations for facilitating coordination and continuity across the departments and agencies in the implementation of international conservation policies subject to interagency or multi-agency jurisdiction;

(F)

identify innovative conservation projects, policies, and initiatives that contribute to achieving multiple foreign policy goals simultaneously, including—

(i)

reducing poverty;

(ii)

expanding access to food and water;

(iii)

addressing health threats through natural resources conservation;

(iv)

expanding the access of women to sustainably managed natural resources and to techniques for improved natural resource management;

(v)

addressing poaching, unlawful fishing, illegal logging, and wildlife trafficking;

(vi)

reducing natural resource scarcities or degradation that could increase inter- and intra-state tensions; and

(vii)

conserving biological diversity;

(G)

identify measures to address obstacles to achieving the goals of the Strategy, including policies that might limit the conservation benefits from properly managed international hunting and angling tourism;

(H)

develop recommendations for expanding the role of the private sector in United States international conservation programs by expanding and leveraging private sector contributions;

(I)

identify measures that further the goals of the Strategy, including regulatory actions that facilitate the importation process for wildlife species with a legitimate scientific purpose or to directly or indirectly benefit the recovery of the species or its habitat through the support of conservation programs in foreign countries;

(J)

recommend diplomatic mechanisms, relevant international institutions and agreements, and other appropriate mechanisms to engage other countries to work jointly with the United States to achieve the goals and actions of the International Conservation Strategy;

(K)

identify successful conservation programs and policies currently being utilized abroad and evaluate the potential for similar approaches to be adopted or expanded by the United States to further the goals of the Strategy;

(L)

identify underperforming and unsuccessful projects and programs and make recommendations to improve performance and terminate programs and projects in a manner consistent with furthering the goals of the Strategy;

(M)

identify natural resource conservation needs not currently being met by existing policies and programs and make recommendations for addressing such needs;

(N)

recommend mechanisms to facilitate mutually beneficial international conservation partnerships between such departments and agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector; and

(O)

meet regularly to review progress on the objectives described in subparagraphs (A) through (N).

(3)

Working group leadership— The President shall designate an individual in the executive branch to serve as the chair of the working group (hereafter referred to as the “chair”), the duties of whom shall include—

(A)

convening and leading meetings of the working group;

(B)

taking steps to ensure the development and implementation of the International Conservation Strategy;

(C)

ensuring the goals and purposes of the working group are met in accordance with paragraph (2); and

(D)

ensuring public input into the development and implementation of the International Conservation Strategy by convening the International Conservation Public Advisory Board established under subsection (b).

(b)

International Conservation Public Advisory Board—

(1)

Establishment— There is hereby established a International Conservation Public Advisory Board (hereafter referred to as the “Advisory Board”), whose purpose shall be to advise the working group on matters related to the international conservation policies and programs of the United States and the development and implementation of the International Conservation Strategy, and to ensure that the best scientific, policy, economic security, and business expertise are reflected in the international conservation strategies and policies of the United States.

(2)

Duties— It shall be the duty of the Advisory Board to advise the working group on matters related to carrying out the duties described in subsection (a)(2), including on matters submitted to it for consideration by the working group, as well as matters identified by the Advisory Board.

(c)

Membership— The Advisory Board shall be comprised of not more than 15 persons appointed from among citizens of the United States who support sustainable-use conservation, and shall have outstanding expertise in one or more of the following fields:

(1)

International conservation.

(2)

International diplomacy.

(3)

International business.

(4)

Economic development and poverty alleviation.

(5)

Food security and water access.

(6)

Natural resource scarcity and degradation and related conflict and security issues.

(7)

The economic and conservation benefits of international hunting and angling tourism.

(8)

International laws concerning illegal wildlife trafficking and illegal fishing.

(9)

Wildlife biology and zoology.

(d)

Appointment— Members of the Advisory Board shall be appointed by the President with the advice of the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, on a staggered basis for a term not to exceed 4 years, except that with respect to the initial members of the Advisory Board, 1/3 shall be appointed for a term of 2 years, 1/3 shall be appointed for a term of 3 years, and 1/3 shall be appointed for a term of 4 years.

(e)

Chairman— A member of the Advisory Board shall be elected by a vote of the majority of the Board to serve as Chairman for a 2-year term.

(f)

Meetings— The Advisory Board shall convene at the call of the Chairman to consider a specific agenda of issues, as determined by the Chairman in consultation with the working group and other members of the Advisory Board.

(g)

Reporting— The Advisory Board shall report to the working group chair designated in accordance with subsection (a)(3) on its deliberations, conclusions, and recommendations.

(h)

Applicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act— The Advisory Board shall be exempt from the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).

Sec. 203 Reporting

(a)

Government accountability office report— Not later than 4 years after the International Conservation Strategy is established under section 201, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct an audit to consider the progress made to achieve the objectives, goals, and benchmarks described in section 201(b), and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the development and implementation of the International Conservation Strategy. The report shall—

(1)

assess progress made in accomplishing the goals and benchmarks described in section 201(b);

(2)

assess the extent to which the executive branch agencies have identified conservation programs and projects that have the potential for replication or adaptation, particularly at low cost, in other United States international conservation efforts;

(3)

assess the extent to which agencies have increased the efficiency and effectiveness of United States international conservation programs and reducing executive branch agency overhead or project administration costs for conservation programs implemented abroad;

(4)

assess the extent to which agencies have identified unsuccessful projects and programs and the actions taken to improve performance or terminate such projects and programs;

(5)

assess the extent to which agencies have quantified the economic benefits that resulted from investments in international conservation programs and activities called for in the Strategy, and an accounting of the measures utilized to calculate such benefits;

(6)

assess the security benefits to the United States and friends and allies from better management of natural resources and reduction of poaching and wildlife trafficking;

(7)

include policy analyses and outline options for congressional consideration; and

(8)

include any other analyses the Comptroller General considers necessary or appropriate.

Sec. 204 Wildlife dependent recreation and uses of wildlife

(a)

Wildlife dependent recreation— No provision in this Act shall be construed as restricting, limiting, or otherwise impairing properly managed recreational hunting and angling.

(b)

Regulated uses of wildlife— No provision in this Act shall be construed as restricting, limiting, or otherwise impairing the ability of any foreign jurisdiction or authority to authorize regulated programs supporting wildlife for local consumption and commercialization.