The oceans are my passion and today it's about the Sea Turtle. They have been on the brink for a while, many species of Sea Turtles are endangered and they need our help. Right now.
Sea Turtles still face threats from many fronts, from climate change, sea trash and nets and the continued poaching and disturbance of their eggs on the beaches they lay them on.
And these funds are not just for Sea Turtles, but also for "rhinos, tigers, great apes, African and Asian elephants and neo-tropical migratory birds."
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This is the alert I received and although I am only passing it along, I am hoping that a few of my Greenroots friends here will take the time to send an email and share this information with others to help spread the word. This funding is important. Not only do we need to address Climate Change from the source but continue to fund programs that help mitigate the impacts and protect biodiversity.
Due to a series of delays this year, citizen lobbying for U.S. appropriations in support of the Marine Turtle Conservation Act (MTCA) and other Multinational Species Conservation Funds (MSCF) for some of the world’s most charismatic species has only just begun. The deadline for Congressional signatures on a letter to Interior Appropriations in support of MSCF programs is Wednesday, March 17th.
Around the world, these programs make a huge difference to conserve marine turtles, rhinos, tigers, great apes, African and Asian elephants and neo-tropical migratory birds.
Please consider sending an electronic letter or making a call to your Congressional Representative asking that he/she support appropriations for these small but critically important funds by signing a letter to Interior Appropriations. More information, and the opportunity to send a letter, are provided on CCC’s website. The office of your Representative can be reached through the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-224-3121.
The MTCA was passed in 2004. Since 2005, it has provided 113 grants totaling $ 3.733 million to marine turtle conservation programs outside the United States and leveraged an additional $5.946 million in matching or in-kind funds. As many of you in our community live in the Southeast, we are asking for your help in encouraging your congressional Representatives to sign a letter to Interior Appropriations by the March 17th deadline.
As constituents and interested citizens, your calls make a huge difference. Remember, in addition to everything else the MTCA supports, it also provides critical funding for the International Sea Turtle Symposium. This year Members of Congress signing the letter to Interior Appropriations will be requesting $2.5 million for the MTCA.
2010 Funding for Marine Turtle Conservation Act
Supporting such programs means we have to make our voices heard.
Here is some more background on The Multinational Species Conservation Funds and a proposed stamp amendment to help with additional funds as well as something on the Sea Turtle Species Conservation Act, TESTIMONY OF ROWAN GOULD, ACTING DIRECTOR, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
I did not include an important bill regarding Sea Otter protection, I would urge people to also read about that and mention it when you can because Sea Otters are another keystone species and their loss means a huge threat to our sea kelp beds.
H.R. 1454, the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Act
The Department would like to express its support for the intent of H.R. 1454, the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Act. Wildlife and natural resources are under pressure from growing human populations and corresponding changes in land use, pollution, and consumption of natural resources. The complexity and diversity of these challenges require internationally coordinated actions. H.R. 1454 recognizes and supports the crucial role that the United States plays in the conservation of wildlife and natural resources around the globe.
Background
The Service has a long history of proactive programs addressing international wildlife species conservation. As a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on Nature Protection and Wild Life Preservation in the Western Hemisphere, and other international conservation agreements, the United States shares responsibility for supporting and implementing measures to provide for the conservation of hundreds of species of plants and animals both here and abroad. The Service works with private citizens, local communities, state and federal agencies, foreign governments, native peoples and nongovernmental organizations, to promote a coordinated domestic and international strategy to protect, restore, and enhance the world’s diverse wildlife and habitats.
The Service currently administers several successful Multinational Species Conservation Funds under the African Elephant Conservation Act, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act, the Asian Elephant Conservation Act, the Great Apes Conservation Act, and the Marine Turtle Conservation Act. The Multinational Species Conservation Funds encourage and assist efforts to conserve some of the world’s most ecologically and sociologically important wildlife species through on-the-ground actions and other related conservation measures. The grants supported by these Funds provide technical and cost-sharing assistance to range countries for conservation of their species and habitats. The projects funded represent cooperative efforts involving local governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. These Funds reflect our strong national commitment to help support conservation programs of the target species in the wild.
To date, the Service has funded 1,371 conservation grants in 75 countries. Approximately $57 million in funds appropriated have leveraged more than $140 million in matching and in-kind contributions from more than 500 partner organizations, thereby greatly expanding our on-the-ground conservation efforts.
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H.R. 509, the Marine Turtle Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2009
The Department would also like to express its support for H.R. 509, the Marine Turtle Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2009, which addresses some of the most urgent conservation issues regarding marine turtles. As mentioned above, the Service has a long history of proactive programs addressing international wildlife species conservation. Our experience has shown that relatively modest sums, if judiciously applied to well-designed and implemented projects, can leverage considerable resources and, just as importantly, the interest of communities, governments, and the world. Working with our international partners, we see clear signs of the effectiveness of our combined efforts.
Background
Marine turtles disperse and migrate throughout the world’s oceans, and as a result, they are important indicators of coastal and marine environmental health on local, regional and global scales. Less than 60 years ago, marine turtles were abundant, and widespread nesting on beaches was common. Today however, six of the seven marine turtle species—the Kemp’s ridley, the Olive ridley, the Loggerhead, the Leatherback, the Hawksbill, and the Green turtle—are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). All seven species are included in Appendix 1 of CITES. Threats facing marine turtles continue to include overexploitation of eggs and turtles, trade in turtle parts, bycatch mortality, and loss of habitat. Overall, nesting populations for most species have declined worldwide with a few exceptions. For example, surveys of the Kemp’s ridley turtles on a nesting beach in northeastern Mexico showed a drop from more than 40,000 nesting females estimated on one day in 1947 to fewer than 270 nesting females for the entire nesting season in 1985.
Fortunately, the dual approach of long-term nest protection measures implemented in Mexico in the late 1960s and binationally with the Service since 1978 along with the Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) requirements in the 1990’s has reversed this trend. During the mid 1990’s, surveys showed sustained increases in the number of recorded Kemp’s ridley nests. More recently, in 2008 approximately 18,000 nests were recorded in Mexico. Females nest approximately every other year and lay 2.4 nests per season, equating to 7,500 nesting females annually. This success story demonstrates our capacity to recover depleted Kemp’s ridley and other sea turtle populations with sustained long-term international efforts.
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Marine turtles are model "flagship species" for both local and international coastal conservation. Because marine turtles circumnavigate the world’s oceans to reach their nesting beaches, their conservation must be addressed through global efforts. By focusing on these species and their habitats, it is likely that ecologically critical areas of the planet will be considered and managed more adequately. We welcome the opportunity to continue our cooperation and work with other countries and partners to conserve the world’s magnificent marine turtles, particularly in light of the challenges climate change may pose.
Conclusion
Madam Chairwoman, thank you for the opportunity to testify on H.R. 556, H.R. 1454, and H.R. 509. We look forward to continuing to work with the Members of the Subcommittee on these important issues. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Mr. Brown for introducing H.R. 509 and H.R. 1454. At this time, I would be happy to answer any questions.
Emphasis Mine
Programs like these do matter and they do make a difference and we must support them to get funding to where it's most effective. Protecting habitat is important especially if it means stopping deforestation and habitat loss. For many less developed Countries they depend on money from more developed nations to help with conservation, if we really want to save species and stop the loss of biodiversity, then we have to fund such programs.
While Republicans focus on stopping Health Care Reform, we can make calls and try to push through bills like this, that of course are important and may not seem as important as HCR, but they matter.