Policy and Funding

Read about the Washington Biodiversity legislation.

Read a survey of state level conservation funding mechanisms, compiled by The Nature Conservancy, or click map on the right to go to individual state policy & funding pages.

Perhaps the greatest barrier to protecting biodiversity is the difficulty conservationists have in translating the concern people have for the loss of natural habitat and native fish and wildlife into effective policies and adequate program funding. However, over the past four years alone, Americans have overwhelmingly supported local ballot measures that levied more than $19 billion in additional taxes to pay for the purchase and protection of open space. But that support has not been fully translated into federal and state policy, and the funds generated locally are used for a variety of purposes with only peripheral benefits for biodiversity. For more information on conservation-related ballot measures go to Trust for Public Land's LandVote Database.

The Endangered Species Act is the primary piece of federal legislation affecting biodiversity and addressing species and habitat conservation. However, the act generally applies only in situations where species have reached crisis status and conservation options are limited. It also tends to focus on individual species rather than on proactive conservation of intact ecosystems. The federal government's primary role in biodiversity conservation is through its research programs, private land incentive programs, management of public lands, and oversight of migratory species. However, none of these tools address the root causes of biodiversity loss.

At the state level, there are no comprehensive laws or policies that mandate the pro-active conservation of biodiversity on a landscape scale, although several do address biodiversity specifically. State endangered species acts may address some biodiversity concerns, but they come into play only when specific populations are at severe risk of extinction. A 1996 survey by Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Wildlife Law found numerous state laws that provide authority for addressing biodiversity considerations. Yet they tend to do so indirectly by focusing on specific resources, such as wetlands and floodplains, or through specific activities, such as transportation planning or logging. There is clearly a need for a new generation of state and federal policies that address biodiversity in a more comprehensive fashion.

One recent example of legislation that specifically addresses biodiversity at the state level is a bill passed by the Washington Legislature in 2002 that calls for development of a statewide biodiversity conservation strategy. Click here to read text of the bill. The legislation resulted in the creation of a Biodiversity Council, which is working on a long term conservation plan for the state.

In 2001, the Oregon Legislature approved legislation broadly addressing sustainability, including the conservation of fish and wildlife habitat and watersheds. Most significant to biodiversity was the creation of the Institute for Natural Resources in the statute. The Institute involves several of Oregon's universities and is charged with compiling natural resources information and making it widely available to the public and policy makers.

Updated 4-6-06