Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Great Ape Conserva-
tion Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) great ape populations have declined to the
point that the long-term survival of the species in
the wild is in serious jeopardy;
(2) the chimpanzee, gorilla, bonobo, orangutan,
and gibbon are listed as endangered species under
section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1533) and under Appendix I of the Conven-
tion on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora (27 UST 1087; TIAS
8249);
(3) because the challenges facing the conserva-
tion of great apes are so immense, the resources
available to date have not been sufficient to cope
with the continued loss of habitat due to human en-
croachment and logging and the consequent diminu-
tion of great ape populations;
(4) because great apes are flagship species for
the conservation of the tropical forest habitats in
which they are found, conservation of great apes
provides benefits to numerous other species of wild-
life, including many other endangered species;
(5) among the threats to great apes, in addition
to habitat loss, are population fragmentation, hunt-
ing for the bushmeat trade, live capture, and expo-
sure to emerging or introduced diseases;
(6) great apes are important components of the
ecosystems they inhabit, and studies of their wild
populations have provided important biological in-
sights;
(7) although subsistence hunting of tropical for-
est animals has occurred for hundreds of years at a
sustainable level, the tremendous increase in the
commercial trade of tropical forest species is detri-
mental to the future of these species; and
(8) the reduction, removal, or other effective
addressing of the threats to the long-term viability
of populations of great apes in the wild will require
the joint commitment and effort of countries that
have within their boundaries any part of the range
of great apes, the United States and other countries,
and the private sector.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to sustain viable populations of great apes
in the wild; and
(2) to assist in the conservation and protection
of great apes by supporting conservation programs
of countries in which populations of great apes are
located and by supporting the CITES Secretariat.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) CITES.—The term ‘‘CITES’’ means the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, done at Wash-
ington March 3, 1973 (27 UST 1087; TIAS 8249),
including its appendices.
(2) 
CONSERVATION.—The 
term
‘‘conservation’’—
(A) means the use of methods and proce-
dures necessary to prevent the diminution of,
and to sustain viable populations of, a species;
and
(B) includes all activities associated with
wildlife management, such as—
(i) conservation, protection, restora-
tion, acquisition, and management of habi-
tat;
(ii) in-situ research and monitoring of
populations and habitats;
(iii) assistance in the development, im-
plementation, and improvement of manage-
ment plans for managed habitat ranges;
(iv) enforcement and implementation
of CITES;
(v) enforcement and implementation
of domestic laws relating to resource man-
agement;
(vi) development and operation of
sanctuaries for members of a species res-
cued from the illegal trade in live animals;
(vii) training of local law enforcement
officials in the interdiction and prevention
of the illegal killing of great apes;
(viii) programs for the rehabilitation
of members of a species in the wild and re-
lease of the members into the wild in ways
which do not threaten existing wildlife pop-
ulations by causing displacement or the in-
troduction of disease;
(ix) conflict resolution initiatives;
(x) community outreach and edu-
cation; and
(xi) strengthening the capacity of local
communities to implement conservation
programs.
(3) FUND.—The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the Great
Ape Conservation Fund established by section 5.
(4) GREAT APE.—The term ‘‘great ape’’ means
a chimpanzee, gorilla, bonobo, orangutan, or gibbon.
(5) MULTINATIONAL
SPECIES
CONSERVATION
FUND.—The term ‘‘Multinational Species Conserva-
tion Fund’’ means such fund as established in title
I of the Department of the Interior and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999, under the head-
ing 
‘‘MULTINATIONAL
SPECIES
CONSERVATION
FUND’’.
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of the Interior.
SEC. 4. GREAT APE CONSERVATION ASSISTANCE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of
funds and in consultation with other appropriate Federal
officials, the Secretary shall use amounts in the Fund to
provide financial assistance for projects for the conserva-
tion of great apes for which project proposals are approved
by the Secretary in accordance with this section.
(b) PROJECT PROPOSALS.—
(1) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—A proposal for a
project for the conservation of great apes may be
submitted to the Secretary by—
(A) any wildlife management authority of
a country that has within its boundaries any
part of the range of a great ape if the activities
of the authority directly or indirectly affect a
great ape population;
(B) the CITES Secretariat; or
(C) any person or group with the dem-
onstrated expertise required for the conserva-
tion of great apes.
(2) REQUIRED ELEMENTS.—A project proposal
shall include—
(A) a concise statement of the purposes of
the project;
(B) the name of the individual responsible
for conducting the project;
(C) a description of the qualifications of
the individuals who will conduct the project;
(D) a concise description of—
(i) methods for project implementa-
tion and outcome assessment;
(ii) staff and community management
for the project; and