Blog: Why We Need to Pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
One of HECHO’s top policy priorities is protecting and restoring cultural, ecological, iconic, and recreational lands and waters in the Southwest. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would support this policy priority by allocating $1.4 billion a year to conserve and restore fish and wildlife across states, territories, and tribal lands of the U.S. HECHO is committed to working with elected officials to safeguard our precious public lands and native wildlife so that our children can enjoy fishing, hiking, hunting, camping, and other outdoor activities for generations to come.
Overharvesting, pollution, and climate change have accelerated the threats to our fish and wildlife populations in recent decades. More than 180 native U.S. species are already extinct, and another 400+ species have not been seen in years. Currently, there are 1,669 species protected under the Endangered Species Act, 1270 that are endangered and 399 that are classified as threatened. Overall, approximately 1/3 of all U.S. species are at risk.
The U.S. Southwest accounts for some of the greatest at-risk, species-diverse habitats as we face exacerbated threats to our fish and wildlife.
Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history – and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating, according to a landmark new report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Internationally, more than one million species are at risk of extinction in the next few decades. Birds in North America have declined by nearly 30 percent since 1970—today, three billion fewer birds fill our skies. One-third of America's wildlife species are at increased risk of extinction, more than 150 U.S. species have already gone extinct, and nearly 500 additional species of birds have not been seen in recent decades and are regarded as possibly extinct. The United States has previously undertaken great recovery efforts, such as the Endangered Species Act of 1973, to protect iconic wildlife like the North American Bison and the Bald Eagle. These species’ recovery successes can be attributed largely to the legislation that provided the resources for us to save these majestic animals.
With a remarkable 150+ cosponsors for House bill (H.R.2773) and 30+ cosponsors for Senate bill (S.2372), there is strong bipartisan support for the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. It is time for us to actively steward the preservation of the vast biodiversity that makes up our ecosystem. It is a matter of preserving the system which maintains our planet’s delicate balance of life so that our children and grandchildren can inherit a world in equilibrium. HECHO thanks the current cosponsors of the bill and encourages all Members of Congress to support this critical piece of legislation.
References:
American Fisheries Society, & Stein, B. (2022, February 15). Wildlife in Crisis Briefing; Understanding America’s Wildlife Crisis. Vimeo. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://vimeo.com/677884214
Einhorn, C. (2021, October 7). Our Response to Climate Change Is Missing Something Big, Scientists Say. The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/10/climate/biodiversity-collapse-climate-change.html
McCormick, L. C. (2019, March 29). One-Third of American Wildlife at Increased Risk of Extinction. National Wildlife Federation. Retrieved January 31, 2022, from https://www.nwf.org/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2018/03-29-18-Wildlife-Crisis-Report#:%7E:text=Fish%20and%20Wildlife%3A-,One%2Dthird%20of%20America’s%20wildlife%20species%20are%20at%20increased%20risk,are%20regarded%20as%20possibly%20extinct.
UN. (2019, May 6). UN Report: Nature’s Dangerous Decline ‘Unprecedented’; Species Extinction Rates ‘Accelerating.’ United Nations Sustainable Development. Retrieved January 31, 2022, from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/nature-decline-unprecedented-report/
Zimmer, C. (2019, September 23). Birds Are Vanishing From North America. The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/science/bird-populations-america-canada.html
117th CONGRESS 1st Session. (2021, April 22). Text - H.R.2773 : Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2021. Congress.Gov | Library of Congress. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2773/text#H985620D424E24D56A711DE6857B19C6F