This section presents the Service's Annual Performance Plan for the budget year FY 2000, provides current FY 1999 projected performance, and provides past year FY 1998 accomplishments. The format for this section includes a summary narrative for each of the three GPRA Program Activities and Exhibit A following each GPRA Program Activity. Exhibit A presents the a complete picture of the performance related to each of the annual performance goals comprising the GPRA Program Activity.

Goals and indicators reflect performance expected from total budgetary resources available for the implementing the Annual Performance Plan; however, only appropriated dollars are shown in the table. Because the Service's budget and finance systems do not align directly with the strategic and annual goals; a crosswalk of budgetary resources from the current budget and finance structure to the GPRA program activities has been completed. These amounts reflect best estimates of current budgetary resources to GPRA program activities.
 
II.1 Description of GPRA Program Activity:

Sustainability of Fish & Wildlife Populations

The goals under the GPRA Program Activity - Sustainability of Fish and Wildlife Populations encompass the specific statutory mandates, international treaties and agreements delegated to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the broad conservation ethics of the nation. What began as a group of laws which sought to manage migratory game species has evolved into a broader net of conservation and protection statutes based on the realization that the continued variety and balance of plants and animals makes existence on earth possible.

The long-term goals comprising this GPRA program activity include the protection , conservation, and recovery of plants and animals of importance to the nation. The long-term goals that deals with the conservation and protection of migratory bird populations recognizes them as an international resource with special federal responsibility - Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Further, birds are valued and highly visible components of natural ecosystems that may be indicators of environmental quality. The long-term goal that deals with imperiled species focuses on the protection and recovery of species listed as threatened or endangered and protection of candidate species. The living resources of this Nation's inland and coastal aquatic ecosystems has been a core responsibility of the Service for more than 120 years. Within historical time, native fish communities have undergone significant and adverse changes. These changes generally tend toward reduced distributions, lowered diversity, and increased numbers of species considered rare. The long-term goal addressing these resource issues focuses the Service and its partners on the importance of maintaining stable fish population and taking actions to restore declining interjurisdictional fish populations. The remaining long term goals directly emphasis our responsibilities for protection of marine mammals and recognition that wildlife knows no geophysical boundaries; that for conservation and diversity to succeed we must extent our efforts beyond our borders.

II.2 Related Appropriated Funds to GPRA Program Activity

The following table provides a crosswalk of total appropriated funds to the GPRA Program Activity [Mission Goal]: Sustainability of Fish and Wildlife Populations for FY 1999 Enacted Appropriations and FY 2000 President's Budget Request.
 
 

($000)	FY 1999 Operating Plan		FY 2000 Request		Change   1999/2000
	FY 1999   Enacted	Mission Goal I Fish Wildlife Populations	FY 2000 President's  Budget	Mission Goal I Fish Wildlife Populations
TOTAL APPROPRIATED FUNDS	802,192	314,740	950,001	402,556	+87,816

 

II.3 Proposed Legislation:

Performance goals and accomplishment of those goals are not contingent on enactment of legislation during the fiscal year covered by this annual performance plan.

II.4 Impact of FY 2000 Budget Changes:

The annual performance plan for FY 2000 reflects essential funding to meet targeted performance directed towards conserving, protecting, enhancing, or restoring migratory birds, endangered fish, wildlife and plant species, interjurisdictional fish, and marine mammals.. The FY 2000 performance commitment assumes a funding increase of a $87,816,000, which is about a 28 percent increase over the FY 1999 enacted level attributed to this GPRA program activity.
 

Annual Performance Goals 1.1 and 1.2 - Migratory Bird Conservation:

A funding increase of $4.2 million will allow the Service to improve the status of regional migratory bird populations of management concern by 2 percent over the FY 1999 condition. The performance goal anticipates significant efforts in improved monitoring of migratory bird populations where little baseline information is currently known and greater emphasis on establishing permit regulations to diminish detrimental impacts of problematic species. This goal will be accomplished through a combined effort of the Migratory Bird Management program, the National Wildlife Refuge System, and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The FY 2000 performance goal assumes additional resources of $2.1 million, delivered through the Migratory Bird Management program, directed to conservation and monitoring activities, such as:

• expanding the monitoring and conservation efforts for a number of declining migratory bird species, such as colonial waterbirds, marshbirds, cranes, western sandpipers, LeConte's sparrow, Henslow's sparrow, Spague's pulpit, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and mountain plover;
• working with the states and Canada to further control the overabundant North American goose populations that are destroying agricultural lands and fragile Arctic habitats;
• implementing amendments to the U.S.-Canada Migratory Bird Treaty regarding subsistence harvests by Alaska natives;
• meeting the monitoring and conservation requirements of the migratory bird populations that winter in the unique mountain and desert regions of Arizona and New Mexico; and
• administering the increasing number of requests for migratory bird permits.

Annual Performance Goal 1.2 - Imperiled Species:

The FY 2000 performance target for improving the status of imperiled species assumes an increase of $72.2 million. A significant portion of this increase, $66 million, will be directed through the Lands Legacy Initiative, to states to integrate conservation planning and habitat protection into local land use planning and decision-making. The benefits to the recovery of endangered and threatened species from the Grants to states for land acquisition portion of this initiative will occur over several years. Therefore an immediate outcome is not reflected in the FY 2000 performance; however the initiation of this program is crucial to the Service's success in meeting the long-term goal to improve the status of threatened and endangered species listed a decade or more by 40 percent.

A portion of the increased resources, an additional $6.2 million, will strengthen the effectiveness of The Endangered Species Act of 1973 and allow the Service to meet the FY 2000 performance goal of stabilizing or improving 37 percent of endangered or threatened species populations and precluding the need to list 15 species whose populations are in decline. Through the Ecological Services program, an increase of $2.1 million will directed toward:

• better management of threats to species and their habitats before they are critically imperiled;
• increasing the number of listing actions and litigation caseloads;
• increasing consultation support to landowners by hiring additional professional staff needed to issue accurate and timely biological opinions,
• addressing the increased demand for section 7 programmatic consultations, and
• develop or monitor the growing number of habitat conservation plans and section 10 safe harbor agreements.

Annual Performance Goal 1.3 - Interjurisdictional Fish:

The FY 2000 annual performance goal allows for the maintenance of currently stable interjurisdictional fish populations and the restoration of 1 percent of the depressed populations to self-sustaining or harvestable levels. Although the Service is in the process of establishing performance measures baselines for this goal; considerable populations data indicates that many native fish populations are declining due to habitat degradation, inadequate fish passage that would allow for successful reproduction, overfishing and introduction of nonindigenous species.

Thousands of nonindigenous species, such as zebra mussels, have been introduced in the United States, with many having significant nuisances that imperil native species and threaten our natural resources and the economies that depend on them. An increase of $2.5 million, over the FY 1999 enacted level, to prevent the spread of nonindigenous species. To meet our FY 2000 performance target, the Service will redirect base resources of $800,000 and request additional funds of $900,000 to improve fish passage by removing culverts, repairing fishways and improving instream and riparian habitats. These efforts will improve fish passage to spawning areas and replenish imperiled native fish, such as redband trout, leopard darter, American shad and sturgeon, and stripped bass.

Annual Performance Goal 1.4 - Marine Mammals:

Marine mammal populations, which the Service has jurisdiction, will be maintained at sustainable population levels or protected under conservation agreements. An increase of $300,000 will ensure that 100 percent of marine mammal populations, over which the Service has jurisdiction, will benefit from improved conservation efforts. The increase will focus on: conducting sea otter surveys to address significant declines in the Aleutian Island populations and Pacific walrus population studies.

Annual Performance Goal - Species of International Concern:

The FY 2000 Performance goal will be accomplished through the initiation of 55 conservation projects addressing 17 percent of transborder species and conservation efforts for 15 priority species that would benefit from improved status.
 
Additional resources of $4.4 million will be necessary to fulfill the FY 2000 performance goal. A significant portion of the requested increase will be directed through the International Affairs program to build new CITES partnerships for protecting endangered species, involving U.S. state and tribal governments in CITES activities, and streamlining the permits process to support international trade while ensuring the sustained conservation of trust species at home and abroad. FY 2000 projects will be directed toward protections of neo-tropical birds that migrate across our southern borders; conservation of winter habitat for Monarch butterflies in Mexico; expanding support to Russia for wildlife and habitat conservation projects benefiting migratory marine mammals, waterfowl, and seabirds; supporting interagency projects to improve the environment, natural resources, and public health while fostering sustainable development in the U.S./Mexico border area

The Law Enforcement program will strengthen efforts, through an increase of $700,000, to uncover illegal shipments of species parts smuggled into the country, control and investigate illegal activities involving federally-protected species, including the inspection of wildlife shipments at ports of entry and training conservation law enforcement officers from Native American tribes, U.S. territories, and other nations.

II.5 EXHIBIT A

GPRA PROGRAM ACTIVITY	FY 1999  Operating Plan  BA ($000)	FY 2000  Proposed  BA($000)
Sustainability of Fish and Wildlife Populations	$314,740	$402,556

 

Long-term Goal: Migratory Birds

1.1 Through 2003, 20 percent of regional migratory bird populations demonstrate improvements in their population status because of management actions that have either increased their numbers or, in some cases, reduced the number of conflicts due to overabundance.

 

FY 2000 Annual Performance Goal:
1.1.1 By September 30, 2000, an increase of 2 percent of regional migratory bird populations of management concern (which adequate population information is available) demonstrate improvements in their populations status because of management actions that have either increased their numbers or, in some cases, reduced the number of conflicts due to overabundance.
Performance Measures	FY   1997   Actual	FY 1998		FY 1999  Operating Plan	FY 2000  Proposed
		Plan	Actual
1. % increase in regional migratory bird populations of management concern with improved status.	----	[1 pop.]	.8%	2%  [5 populations]	2%  [5 populations]
Baseline for Performance Measure Above:
# regional migratory bird populations of management concern which have adequate population information is available through existing surveys.	250	250	250	250	250
Workload and Other Performance Statistics
1. # management actions initiated for species of management concern.	0	5	5	10	10
Refuges & Wildlife/Refuge O&M
2. # migratory bird surveys & censuses	5,200	5,375	3,960	4,160	4,338
3. # migratory bird studies & investigations	660	685	463	500	524

 

FY 2000 Annual Performance Plan
1.1.2 By September 30, 2000, an additional 3 percent of regional migratory bird populations that are of management concern will have baseline information available for establishing reliable population levels, and monitoring programs will be initiated or continued for those species.
Performance Measures	FY   1997  Actual	FY 1998		FY 1999  Operating Level	FY 2000  Proposed
		Plan	Actual
1. % increase in baseline monitoring programs initiated for regional migratory bird populations of management concerns.	0	0	0	4%	3%
2. # regional migratory bird populations of management concern.	400	400	400	400	400
3. % regional migratory bird populations of management concern with reliable baseline information & ongoing monitoring program .	53%  [250]	53%  [210]	53%	55%  [218]	56%  [224]

 
Operational Processes, Technology, Financial and Human Resources Necessary to Achieve Each Performance Goal within the GPRA Program Activity:

Goal (s) Purpose:

A key objective of the two annual goals, contributing to the success of long-term goal, is to improve populations status for migratory birds whose populations evidence decline or other problems, including over abundance. These annual goals can be accomplished by implementing appropriate species and habitat conservation and management actions early enough to avoid other social, economic or biological problems while improving populations monitoring activities for which reliable information on species status in not available.

The Service is responsible for the management of game and nongame birds, including 58 species that may be legally hunted as game birds and 778 nongame species, all of which are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

Resource Condition:

Many migratory bird populations are currently at-risk due to a variety of factors that have caused significant declines in numbers, while other populations have outstripped the ability of key landscapes to support the burden of excessive population growth. There have been dramatic declines of one-fifth of all migratory bird species during the past 30 years. Of the 400 regional migratory bird populations of management concern, only 250 of those populations have reliable baseline information and on-going monitoring programs. Further, the Service recognizes 124 species as "Nongame Birds of Management Concern", meaning without immediate attention, these species will be future candidates for listing under the ESA. Some populations, such as Mid-continent snow geese, are increasing faster than their habitats can support them. Over abundance of populations can result in massive destruction of ecosystems and significant economic losses on agricultural lands.

FY 2000 Performance - Goal Achievement:

This goal will be achieved through three principal strategies: (1) migratory bird monitoring activities will be increased by establishing survey projects for species of concern for which little baseline population information currently exits. These species include snow geese, shorebirds, and certain land birds. (2) greater emphasis will be placed on implementation of newly developed conservation plans for migratory birds -- populations potentially affected by management actions will be monitored to evaluate population-level responses. (3) Permit regulations will be established that will help diminish the detrimental impact of several problematic species.

Benefits Realized from Goal Achievement:

• increased recreational opportunities resulting from improved migratory bird populations(hunting, wildlife viewing, environmental education)
• reduced conflicts due to ecological or economic damages caused by overabundant populations.
• increased knowledge about the status of migratory bird populations gained through improved survey and monitoring.
• Avoidance of potential future listing under ESA - resulting in economic and social disruption.

The Service, in the Department of the Interior, and the National Marine Fisheries Service, in the Department of Commerce, share responsibility for administration of the Endangered Species Act. Generally, the National Marine Fisheries deals with those species occurring in marine environments and anadromous fish, while the Service is responsible for terrestrial and freshwater species and migratory birds. Additionally, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, in the Department of Agriculture, oversees importation and exportation of listed terrestrial plants.

Goal Purpose:

Protecting endangered and threatened species and restoring them to a secure status in the wild is the primary goal of the endangered species program of the Service. The responsibilities and strategies of the endangered species program include:

• Listing, reclassifying, and delisting species under the ESA
• Providing biological opinions through consultations with Federal agencies on their activities that may affect listed species
• Overseeing recovery activities for listed species
• Providing for the protection of important habitat
• Providing grants to states to assist with their endangered species conservation efforts.

As of September 30, 1998, there were 85 species proposed for listing and 1,154 species listed as threatened or endangered. The Service anticipates adding 100 species to the list in FY 1999. The Service anticipates publishing the Annual Notice of Review of all candidate species for listing in the Federal Register in 1999 and anticipates having 100 - 200 candidate species.
 
FY 2000 Performance - Goal Achievement:

The Service FY 2000 performance target assumes additional budgetary resources of $72.2 million over the FY 1999 enacted level, necessary to meet the goal of stabilizing or improving 37% or 197 endangered or threatened species populations listed a decade or more and precluding the need to list 15 species whose populations are in decline.

A significant portion of this increase, $66 million, will be directed through the Lands Legacy Initiative, to grants to states to integrate conservation planning and habitat protection into local land use planning and decision-making. The benefits to the recovery of endangered and threatened species from the Grants to states for land acquisition portion of this initiative will occur over several years.

Additional resources of $6.2 million will strengthen the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act. Specifically, increased resources will permit an acceleration of consultation and recovery activities. by providing additional professional staff to assist landowners by issuing accurate and timely biological opinions, addressing the increased demand for section 7 programmatic consultations, and developing or monitoring the growing number of habitat conservation plans and section 10 Safe Harbor agreements. The FY 2000 requirements for recovery will increase as a result of the additional 47 species listed in FY1998. Recovery Plans must be completed for these species within 2 years of listing. The Service will delist species once recovery has been achieved and downlist species from endangered to threatened when appropriate.
 

Candidate Conservation -- During FY 2000, the Service anticipates the removal of ten candidates as a result of conservation agreements thus precluding the need to list the species under the ESA. The Service will expand the use of candidate conservation agreements to protect at-risk species in FY 2000. Additional incentives [Candidate Conservation Agreements Assurances Policy] are being afforded non-federal landowners by assuring that no additional conservation measures will be required should the candidate species, under an approved agreement, become listed in the future. Increased resources of $1.4 million in FY 2000 will allow the Service to finalize an additional 50 for Candidate Conservation Agreements. Service will focus efforts on a collaborative partnership conservation effort to benefit High Plains species.

Listing -- Legal challenges continue to significantly constrain the Service's ability focus its efforts and resources toward those species that are most biologically in need of protection under the ESA. As of December 31, 1998, there were 16 active lawsuits, court orders, and settlements under section 4 of ESA and 25 notices of Intent to sue-- involving 151 species. During FY 2000, the Service will continue to evaluate species for listing, and expects to propose 100 species for listing, process petition findings for 30 species and remove 20 species from candidacy. Increased efforts to address listing workload in the Southwest due in part to the court-ordered designation of critical habitat for an increasing number of species, the completion of 22 listing actions, and six active lawsuits, court orders, and settlements concerning listing actions is planned for FY 2000. These improvements in performance anticipates additional funding of $1.6 million in FY 2000.

Consultation and Habitat Conservation Planning -- Efforts to improve and reform the implementation of the Endangered Species Act have focused, to a great degree, on federal consultations and habitat conservation planning.

Consultation plays a critical role in the Service's ability to protect and recover threatened and endangered species. Through section 7, the Service works with federal partners to minimize the adverse impacts of federal actions on listed, proposed and candidate species and designated critical habitat. Additionally, the Service uses section 10 and the Habitat Conservation Planning process to allow non-federal activities to proceed while promoting conservation of imperiled species and their habitats. Potential impacts to newly listed species are addressed via new or reinitiated section 7 consultations and new HCPs; existing HCPs may be modified to include newly listed species if they were not already covered. Often, the section 7 and 10 processes facilitate implementation of recovery actions, thus furthering the long-term conservation prospects of listed species. Thousands of federal actions are reviewed each year by the Service, which constitutes an immense workload due to case-specific analysis and interpersonal communication that is required.

During FY 2000, the Service will continue to facilitate the issuance of accurate and timely biological opinions to other federal agencies and permit reviews to nonfederal applicants. An additional $ 9.5 million will allow the Service to respond to an anticipated 2000 programmatic consultations with federal agencies, and be involved in over 500 new and ongoing Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) consultations. Approximately 300 species will benefit from the restoration, enhancement or protection of over 3.0 million acres covered in Habitat Conservation Plans through FY 2000.

California and Nevada Desert -- Specific efforts will be directed toward the long-term conservation of fish and wildlife resources of the California and Nevada desert through partnership and collaborative of the Department of Interior, Department of Defense and state agencies. Within the increase, additional focus will be given to developing and implementing multi-species habitat conservation plans for approximately [90 species in the Mojave desert in California, including the desert tortoise, bighorn sheep, and fringed-toed lizard. The Service will have to assist seven federal agencies, three state agencies, 50 municipalities, and numerous private landowners on conservation strategies in this desert area.]

Grants to States -- Grants to States funded through the Cooperative Endangered Species Fund provides financial assistance to states and territories to participate in conservation and recovery projects for candidate, proposed and listed species. In addition, habitat conservation planning land acquisition funds are available to local government and other non-federal entities to establish HCPs that protect species while allowing development to continue. The long-term performance target for the Service will be realized through the benefits realized from the grants to states and HCP land acquisition programs. The FY 2000 Land Legacy Initiative requests $66 million to allow states to aggressively integrate conservation planning and habitat protection into local land use planning and decision-making. The success of this initiative will be long-term -- realizing thousands of acres of private lands conserved through voluntary Safe Harbor Agreements -- resulting in the expedited delisting of many endangered species.

Recovery -- Recovery planning provides a blueprint for coordinated private, federal tribal and state implementation of recovery actions. These actions may include steps to stabilize listed species in declining populations, increase the numbers and distribution of listed species in accordance with recovery objectives and remove threats to listed species so that they can be removed form the list. The Service has two primary responsibilities in species recovery -- recovery planning and recovery implementation. FY 2000 performance will rely on a redirection of currently available resources of $10.7 million essential to the development of recovery outlines and plans for increasing number of listed species, the development and implementation of high priority recovery actions and additional Safe Harbor Agreements. The number of species covered by final recovery plans is expected to increase by 274 by the close of FY 2000. In addition, the Service will draft and finalize recovery plans for 100 species added to the list in FY 1999.

Many of America's native fish populations, including salmon, trout and shad, are listed as endangered, threatened or in decline. In FY 2000, increased efforts in restoration and recovery of native fishes, including endangered shortnose sturgeon, greenback cutthroat trout and Gila trout, are anticipated and reflected in the performance target for FY 1999. These efforts are also intended to reverse declines in native fish populations and thereby preclude additional listing actions under the ESA. The Service will focus on efforts to improve fish passage in the upper reaches of many streams and waterways now blocked by dams or other impediments to enhance natural fish spawning habitat and improve opportunities for reproduction. The Service continues to work cooperatively with the State of Maine and the National Marine Fisheries Service on the restoration of Atlantic Salmon populations in order to preclude the need to list the species.

Landowner Incentive Program -- The ability to recover or improve the status of threatened or endangered species also relies on the willingness of private landowners to improve or enhance habitat for these species. FY 2000 performance assumes the continuation of a $5 million Safe Harbor Grant program - providing landowners with a financial incentive to conserve important habitat for endangered species.

Benefits Realized from Goal Achievement:

Implementation of this goal will provide two specific benefits both to the resource and the public.

• protection of candidate species in a timely fashion. This strategy will help to prevent the need for listing, and conserve habitat on which species depend thereby minimizing the regulatory burden on the public.

 
• recovery for species and ensuring their continued existence. In addition, fulfilling this goal contributes to environmental rehabilitation by restoring listed species to a status in which they more nearly play their historic roles within ecosystems. Recovering species to the point where protection under the ESA is no longer needed and delisting can occur is the ultimate goal. Results are documented in a biennial report to Congress.

Goal Purpose:

Protecting the living resources of the Nation's inland and coastal aquatic ecosystems has been a core responsibility of the Service for more than 120 years. This goal focuses the attention of the Service and its partners on the importance of maintaining currently stable fish populations; while taking actions to restore declining interjurisdictional fish populations.

• Interjurisdictional fish populations are those populations that are managed by two or more stages, nations, or native American tribal governments because of geographic distribution or migratory patterns of those populations.

 

Many native fish populations are declining, or are at historic low levels, due to habitat degradation, inadequate fish passage, overfishing, introductions of nonindigenous species, poor land management practices or urbanization.
As a consequence of resource perturbations, many interjurisdictional fishery populations have been decimated. Populations of sturgeon, river herring, shad and salmon have plummeted along the Atlantic Coast. Atlantic salmon populations are currently less than 1% of historic levels. Before declining Atlantic striped bass populations were restored, depressed fisheries cost an estimated 7,500 jobs and $200 million between 1974 and 1980. On the West Coast, 214 salmon and steelhead stocks are at risk of extinction and over 100 salmon and steelhead stocks have already been extirpated from once productive waters. The Pacific salmon in Washington, Oregon, and California, valued at $200 million in 1980, dropped to only $120 million in 1990, and is well below that today. Further, interjurisdictional fish species support critical recreational and commercial fisheries. In 1996, 35 million anglers spent $15.4 billion on fishing trips, $19.2 billion on equipment and $3.8 billion on licenses, stamps, tags and other items. Interjurisdictional fish support a vast commercial fishery .

FY 2000 Performance - Goal Achievement:

The Service will incorporate a number of strategies to achieve the FY 2000 annual goal; including increased emphasis and resources directed toward:

• Controlling of invasive alien species impacting sustainability of interjurisdictional aquatic populations,
• Expanding fishery propagation supporting restoration and recovery of Native Fish,
• Restoring habitat and improving fish passage in rivers and streams, and
• Implementation of Federal subsistence Fisheries Management in Alaska.

• Sea otters -- Sea otters in Alaska are currently estimated to be within their optimum sustainable population level range. They are not listed as depleted or considered strategic stocks under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) , or as threatened or endangered under the ESA. In general throughout Alaska, sea otters are currently occupying much of their former range, are continuing to expand their distribution and are approaching carrying capacity in many localized areas. Impacts resulting from the Exxon Valdez oil spill may have resulted in temporal declines and continuing reduced growth rates and low densities within limited areas; however, it is believed that recovery is occurring in these areas. In southwestern Alaska, sea otters are estimated to be growing throughout part of their range, but of unknown status throughout the Aleutian Islands.

• Polar Bear -- Of the two polar bear stocks in Alaska, the Chukchi/Bering Seas stock appears to be increasing slightly or stabilizing at a relatively high level, while the Southern Beaufort Sea stock is increasing slightly or stabilizing near carrying capacity. Neither stock is listed as depleted or strategic under the MMPA, nor threatened or endangered under the ESA.

 
• Pacific walrus -- Despite an inability to determine precisely the bounds of OSP as currently defined, the Pacific walrus population in Alaska is believed to be within the bounds of OSP, given the most recent estimates of a large population. It is not listed as depleted or strategic under the MMPA, or threatened or endangered under the ESA.

• $1.4 million to build new CITES partnerships for protecting endangered species, involving U.S. State and tribal government in CITES activities, and streamlining the permits process to support international trade while ensuring the sustained conservation of trust species at home and abroad.
• $1 million for a new initiative to fund low-cost, sustainable conservation projects for neotropical birds, primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean. This important counterpart to successful programs generated by the North American Wetlands Conservation Act will provide tools to help protect these birds, many of which migrate to and from the U.S., from threats such as habitat destruction and misuse of pesticides.
• A $500,000 increase for Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation will significantly bolster this highly successful program, which has developed numerous partnerships and leveraged resources for local projects such as scientific workshops, anti-poaching measures, community education, and others.
• A $500,000 increase for Asian elephant conservation will provide similar assistance to the increasingly threatened Asian elephant through a new conservation program implemented in FY 1999.
• A $450,000 increase to continue implementation of a new initiative to assist Russian nature preserves and fund additional arctic activities through the Tundra to Tropics initiative.
• $100,000 to protect Monarch butterflies at their Mexican wintering grounds through collaboration with surrounding communities to promote conservation, as well as low-impact agricultural and tourism options.