Good News Wednesday: The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act

Animal Advocacy
Written By Junipurr Studio
Smiling baby fox enjoying some sunshine and hopeful news

Photo via Peter Lloyd

Woohoo! It’s Good News Wednesday!

Oh you ain’t heard? Yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.2773, aka the “Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2021.”

Cue Etta James - It’s time to sing At Last!

Sponsored by Michigan Democrat Debbie Dingell, this bill “provides funding for (1) the conservation or restoration of wildlife and plant species of greatest conservation need; (2) the wildlife conservation strategies of states, territories, or the District of Columbia; and (3) wildlife conservation education and recreation projects.” (117th Congress, House Bill 2773)

More specifically, to quote Laura Benshoff of NPR, this bill will create “an annual fund of more than $1.3 billion, given to states, territories, and tribal nations for wildlife conservation on the ground. While threatened species have been defined and protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1973, that law does not provide robust funding to proactively maintain their numbers… [And] The bottom line is, when we save wildlife we save for ourselves," said Collin O'Mara, CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, which supports the bill. He said species loss threatens everything from the insects that pollinate plants in the food chain, to sea life that helps to insulate coastlines from storm surge.”

(Read the full House bill here and its companion Senate bill here.)

Because I’m a curmudgeon, after my initial celebration, I had the following thoughts:

  1. $1.3B funding is great! But how much does the government spend on (what I consider) less important issues, and more importantly, how much does it actually cost to conserve endangered species? The latter question turns out to be quite nuanced and interesting:

    • According to this 2012 The Scientist article, “Protecting the world's most endangered species from extinction and conserving their habitats will cost $76.1 billion per year.” Taking a wild guess - with inflation and the continually exacerbated environmental crisis, that number has gone up.

    • This 2015 Current Biology research paper, however, presents a more optimistic view: Per the conservation opportunity index developed by a team of researchers from Denmark, England, Australia, and US, “it would cost only $1.3 billion per year to safeguard 841 species of mammals, reptiles, birds and amphibians listed by the Alliance for Zero Extinction.”

    • “Financial Costs of Meeting Global Biodiversity Conservation Targets: Current Spending and Unmet Needs,” published in Science in 2012, offers perhaps one of the most authoritative figures on the estimated cost of saving threatened species and protecting key sites for conservation (aka two pillars of Aichi Targets): “A total of US$4 billion would be needed annually to prevent human-driven extinction and improve the status of all known globally threatened animal and plant species, with a further US$76 billion needed each year to protect and effectively manage sites of global conservation significance.” So, we are a bit short. Plus, we have to remember to not just calculate costs, but also value — which we can approximate via the opportunity cost of not spending on wildlife conservation. For example, “the decline in bees, butterflies and other pollinators could cost farmers between $235 billion and $577 billion in crop loss each year.” (via) Highly compelling ROI, wouldn’t you say?

    • Here’s an interesting thought experiment inspired by public polls: How much would you be willing to contribute personally to protecting endangered species? Afterall, as researchers of the aforementioned Science publication noted, the total amount needed for preventing human-driven extinction is “equivalent to just 20 per cent of what the world spends on soft drinks each year.” (For the curious, scroll this PBS article to see how much Americans self-reported being willing to spend for the conservation of different species.)

  2. The House bill passed on a 231 to 190 vote … which means 45% of House Representatives opposed this bill. Who? Why? (Hint: Look through the House and Senate bills’ respective co-sponsor list and call up your representatives to have a conversation.)

  3. Perhaps most concerningly of all … Where exactly the $1.3B is coming from still has not been solidified. In other words, even though it’s not enough, the approved funding isn’t even existant yet. With vocal opponents like Arizona Republican Rep Bruce Westerman — and 45% other House of Representatives congress people — at the helm, we the public need to lay on the pressure for solidifying, executing and hopefully expanding the funding.

Alas.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. noted: “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”

P.s. Do you know how your state ranks in terms of animal protection and what animal protection legislation exists in your state? The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Annual US State Animal Protection Laws Rankings is a great resource. Shoutout to the lovely state of Maine!

FURTHER READING:

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