Biodiversity
is the variety and variability of life. We depend on the
planet’s diverse biology to provide many essential products
and functions, including food, clean air and water, medicines,
shelter, fertile soil, crop pollination, drought and flood
control, and recreation. If we fail to protect the species
that provide these services, the earth’s ecosystem will
suffer. When any part of the planet’s biodiversity disappears,
ecosystems become weak and inefficient, threatening the
health and maintenance of all life.
Habitat destruction and fragmentation, urban sprawl, wetland
drainage, road development, environmental contaminants,
global climate change, pollution, invasive species, and
overexploitation of resources are all contributing to the
destruction of global biodiversity. In the United States,
over 30% of freshwater fish species and 40% of amphibians
are threatened or have already become extinct.
In 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s independent
Science Advisory Board identified species extinction and
habitat loss as two of the highest risks to “natural ecology
and human welfare.” But, too often, biodiversity conservation
programs within states are underfunded, uncoordinated, and
fragmented. The following is a list of adopted state legislative
efforts that implement effective and efficient statewide
biodiversity conservation programs.
State Legislation
California
The Agreement
on Biological Diversity is a 1991 Memorandum of Understanding
among federal, state, and local entities. The policy identifies
the need to develop regional and statewide biological diversity
plans, and has resulted in the California Legacy Project
and the California Biodiversity Council.
Kentucky
In 1994, a Biodiversity Task Force was developed by Executive
Order to recommend strategies to preserve biodiversity.
In 1995, another Executive Order created the Biodiversity
Council, comprised of state agency directors and leaders
of the scientific community.
Maryland
In Maryland,
the Governor’s Executive Committee instituted a biodiversity
policy for state-owned lands containing forests. The policy
declared that the conservation of biological diversity should
be incorporated into all state land use planning decisions
pertaining to state-owned forest lands. The declaration
also designated an interagency team to develop strategies
and make recommendations on biodiversity conservation.
Michigan
Act
451 of 1994 (Chapter 324, Sections 35501-35506) established
a temporary committee to create a biodiversity conservation
strategy to reduce biodiversity loss, identify species of
special concern, coordinate efforts, and evaluate progress.
The committee utilized information from various state departments
relative to the causes of biodiversity loss, costs and benefits
of biodiversity conservation, and techniques to protect
against biodiversity loss.
New York
New
York Consolidated Education Law §235-A establishes the
New York State Biodiversity Research Institute. The institute
coordinates state, local, and private environmental efforts
into a statewide biodiversity policy and develops priorities
and implementation plans.
Washington
SB
6400 develops a statewide biodiversity conservation
strategy. It also authorizes funding for a temporary conservation
committee to perform a comprehensive review to identify
the state’s needs for biodiversity data and conservation
programs, and makes recommendations for a long-term biodiversity
strategy. |
