(1) The world is in the midst of a global wildlife 
extinction crisis. 
(2) The extinction rate today is 1,000 times 
greater than the natural background rates estab-
lished over millions of years. 
(3) Wildlife and plant populations are rapidly 
declining, with 1,000,000 species facing extinction in 
the coming decades due to threats of habitat loss, 
climate change, wildlife exploitation, pollution and 
other human activities. 
(4) Unlike past mass-extinction events, the cur-
rent sixth mass extinction is a problem entirely 
caused by human-driven forces. 
(5) The drivers of the global wildlife extinction 
crisis will also degrade the life-support systems of 
societies around the world, including water purifi-
cation, oxygen production, carbon sequestration, and 
disease regulation. 
(6) Stopping the extinction crisis and restoring 
abundant wildlife populations will require strong im-
plementation of the Endangered Species Act and 
other wildlife laws including the Migratory Bird 
Treaty Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. 
(7) The global wildlife extinction crisis and the 
destruction of the planet’s natural life-support sys-
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tems represents a fundamental threat to humanity 
and constitutes an emergency of the highest order. 
SEC. 3. EMERGENCY DECLARATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the President shall declare 
a national emergency under section 201 of the National 
Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1621) with respect to the 
wildlife extinction crisis. 
(b) RESPONSE.—In responding to the national emer-
gency declared pursuant to subsection (a), the President 
shall— 
(1) direct the Secretary of Interior, through the 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the 
Secretary of Commerce, through the National Ma-
rine Fisheries Service (as applicable), to— 
(A) move rapidly to— 
(i) review all species within the United 
States that are identified as— 
(I) 
critically 
imperiled 
by 
NatureServe; or 
(II) critically endangered, endan-
gered, or vulnerable by the Inter-
national Union for the Conservation 
of Nature; and 
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(ii) to use all authorities to propose 
and finalize protections for all species that 
may warrant protection under the Endan-
gered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.); 
(B) establish new national wildlife refuges 
and new marine protected areas pursuant to the 
authority granted in— 
(i) National Wildlife Refuge System 
Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 
668dd et seq.); 
(ii) sections 320301 through 320303 
of title 54, United States Code; and 
(iii) the National Marine Sanctuary 
Act (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.); 
(C) pursuant to the section 8(a)(3) of the 
Fishermen’s 
Protective 
Act 
(22 
U.S.C. 
1978(a)(3)), the Secretary of Commerce or the 
Secretary of the Interior shall— 
(i) after accepting public comment, 
conduct annual reviews of every nation’s 
compliance with any international fishery 
conservation program or international pro-
gram for endangered or threatened species, 
including the Convention on International 
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Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 
Fauna and Flora (27 UST 1087; TIAS 
8249), and publish a Federal Register no-
tice identifying each nation violating one or 
more international fishery conservation 
program or international program for en-
dangered or threatened species; 
(ii)(I) for any such nations identified, 
if the Secretary of Commerce or Secretary 
of Interior finds that significant efforts are 
being made to come into compliance but 
additional resources or capacity are need-
ed, provide financial aid, capacity building 
or technology transfers, and a set a com-
pliance schedule of less than 3 years that, 
if not met, will result in certification under 
subclause (II); 
(II) unless subclause (I) applies, cer-
tify that such nation is violating an inter-
national fishery conservation program or 
international program for endangered or 
threatened species; and 
(iii) no later than 90 days after a cer-
tification is made, impose trade penalties 
unless the President objects; 
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(2) enlist all Federal agencies to help fight the 
wildlife extinction crisis by directing each Federal 
agency to— 
(A) prioritize the recovery of endangered 
species and rebuild healthy wildlife and plant 
populations by developing and finalizing, not 
later than 12 months after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, proactive conservation pro-
grams pursuant to section 7(a)(1) of the En-
dangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(1)), 
that advance the conservation of endangered 
species and help restore declining wildlife and 
plants; 
(B) work with the United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fish-
eries Service to identify and protect, not later 
than 12 months after the date of enactment of 
this Act, all lands within their respective juris-
dictions that may meet the statutory require-
ments of critical habitat pursuant to section 
4(a)(3)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(a)(3)(B)), and to man-
age those lands primarily for the recovery of en-
dangered species; and 
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(C) fully integrate climate change concerns 
into the conservation and recovery of endan-
gered species, including in all aspects of domes-
tic and international conservation laws and 
treaties; and 
(3) direct the Department of Defense to 
prioritize the protection of endangered species and 
rare habitats on United States military installations 
around the world. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, and each year thereafter, the 
President shall submit to Congress a report describing ac-
tions taken in response to the national emergency declared 
pursuant to subsection (a). 
Æ 
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