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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 220 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 220

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
 contributions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered 
                    Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 17, 2013

  Mr. Hastings of Florida (for himself, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Connolly, Mr. 
 Farr, Ms. Norton, Mr. Rush, Mr. Ellison, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Grijalva, 
 Mr. Blumenauer, and Ms. Bordallo) submitted the following resolution; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
 contributions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered 
                    Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Whereas the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 
        Fauna and Flora (the Convention) was concluded on March 3, 1973, with 
        the United States as an original signatory nation, and entered into 
        force on July 1, 1975;
Whereas 178 nations are now party to the Convention;
Whereas the Convention aims to ensure that international trade in wild plants 
        and animals does not threaten their survival;
Whereas the Convention both recognizes and provides the basis for international 
        cooperation in the control of international trade to not threaten 
        species' survival;
Whereas the international wildlife trade is estimated to be worth billions of 
        dollars per year and to involve hundreds of millions of plants and 
        animals and derived products such as food products, leather and fur, 
        ornamentals, medicinal, and timber;
Whereas high levels of exploitation of and trade in wild animals and plants, 
        together with other factors such as habitat loss, are capable of 
        bringing some species close to extinction;
Whereas parties to the Convention have an international obligation and 
        responsibility to protect endangered animals and plants worldwide;
Whereas it is widely accepted that adherence to protective measures adopted by 
        the parties to the Convention has benefitted the conservation of animals 
        and plants;
Whereas nearly 5,000 species of animals and 29,000 species of plants are 
        protected by the Convention against over-exploitation through 
        international trade;
Whereas the species covered by the Convention are listed in 3 appendices, 
        according to the degree of protection they need;
Whereas the parties of the Convention meet every 2 to 3 years at the Conference 
        of the Parties to review the status of species in danger of extinction 
        and to establish trade restrictions with respect to endangered species;
Whereas the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties was held in March 
        2013;
Whereas between 2002 and 2012, more than 10,940 African elephants were illegally 
        killed for their ivory, an increase of 4,374 compared to the analysis 
        submitted to the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties held in 
        2010;
Whereas poaching still continues with 2011 having the highest levels of poaching 
        since comprehensive records started in 2002;
Whereas as sea ice declines, polar bears will not be able to adapt to a 
        terrestrial-based life resulting in increased mortality, reduced 
        reproduction, increased human-bear conflicts, and overall drastic 
        decline of populations;
Whereas polar bears are still being hunted for sport trophies despite habitat 
        loss and population declines;
Whereas a proposal to move the polar bear from appendix II to appendix I was 
        rejected at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
Whereas the scalloped hammerhead, great hammerhead, smooth hammerhead, 
        porbeagle, and whitetip sharks have been severely depleted with declines 
        as high as 99 percent in some areas as a result of the high demand for 
        their fins or meat;
Whereas proposals to include these 5 sharks on appendix II were accepted at the 
        16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties; and
Whereas overfishing, both legal and illegal, increased consumer demand, and 
        inadequate enforcement of infractions have led to historically low 
        populations of northern and Atlantic bluefin tuna: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the important contributions that the 
        Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 
        Fauna and Flora has made in regulating international trade in 
        endangered species and protecting endangered species worldwide;
            (2) recognizes the increasing importance of the Convention 
        in addressing effects of trade on species, while taking into 
        account multiple and compounding threats on species and 
        ecosystems such as over-exploitation, habitat loss, invasive 
        species, disease, and the effects of climate change;
            (3) applauds the Convention's recent leadership in 
        reaffirming strong protections for the African elephant, five 
        sharks, and other endangered species;
            (4) urges renewed, expanded, and accelerated commitments to 
        the Convention by all parties to ensure and enhance the 
        Convention's contribution to species conservation through 
        appropriate controls of international wildlife trade;
            (5) urges the United States delegation to the Convention to 
        utilize international cooperation to encourage other parties to 
        the Convention to collaborate effectively to curb excessive 
        exploitation of species for international trade; and
            (6) urges the Convention to adopt stronger protections for 
        the polar bear, bluefin tuna, and other endangered species at 
        the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties in South 
        Africa in 2016.
                                 <all>
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