III 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 680 

Supporting international tiger conservation efforts and the upcoming Global 

Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 17, 2010 

Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. BINGAMAN, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. 

WHITEHOUSE, and Mr. MERKLEY) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

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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•SRES 680 IS 

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 ‘‘Year of the Tiger’’ 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 ‘‘Year of 

the Tiger’’ 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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•SRES 680 IS 

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 Senate— 

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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•SRES 680 IS 

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 remaining wild 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 remaining wild 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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•SRES 680 IS 

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. 

Æ 


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