American wildlife face numerous threats. We need to act now. (This proposal is featured in ONC's first book, Let's Fix America. The opinions expressed in this proposal represent the opinions and compromises of the authors.)
Big Picture:
Deforestation, urbanization and climate change are tremendous threats to American wildlife. While America’s various ecosystems provide more than $29 trillion in economic capital, biodiversity is rapidly decreasing. It is time to protect these habitats to ensure that plants and animals thrive.
Operative Definitions:
Important Facts and Statistics:
Six-Point Plan:
(1) Reduce the negative environmental impacts of cities. Address urban sprawl through New Urbanism in city planning. Invest in public infrastructure, such as trees and parklets, with habitat conservation and efficient land use in mind. Introduce green infrastructure by applying natural water management practices that improve water quality without costly treatment plants. Through increased water storage, green infrastructure would help mitigate the effects of climate change. Minimize light pollution in cities through local lighting ordinances. Localities can establish lighting zones and curfews and invest in outdoor lighting that is less disruptive and more energy efficient. These ordinances will result in financial savings, improved public safety (for example, reduced glare will decrease car accident incidences) and healthier ecosystems.
(2) Incentivize landowners to make sustainable decisions. Provide small property tax breaks to landowners growing resilient native plants for small businesses. Furthermore, educate homeowners to shift towards non-toxic alternatives to pesticides, including insecticidal soaps and plant-based horticultural oils. Consolidate landowner compensation programs for protecting endangered species into one state initiative. Programs include the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which incentivize landowner action. Merge these with environmental groups’ efforts into a fund for purchasing habitats from landowners.
(3) Regulate and monitor land use and development. Implement wildlife-friendly zoning regulations. Reduce the effects of habitat fragmentation by requiring buffer zones around land desirable for development, adding zoning areas for wildlife. Local and state governments will sell vacant public land to wildlife conservation organizations for habitat preservation. Enact stronger hydraulic fracturing (fracking) regulations, including bi-annual inspections of sites. Inspection results will require publication for the public to increase transparency. Invest in research and sustainable energy development in communities, especially in areas where fossil fuel development occurs.
(4) Revise the Marine Catch Share system to be more equitable. Reform and promote the Marine Catch Share system, which uses shares to determine who receives fishing privileges in an area. Currently, small fishermen are allotted few shares, resulting in job losses. While the system itself has improved fisheries and marine ecosystem safety, it must designate areas for the public and for small fishermen to ensure equity.
(5) Strengthen the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The ESA has been criticized for being insufficiently flexible and cost-effective. Reform it by increasing states’ roles in recovering species and by applying market-based approaches to private conservation and expanding universal regulations. This entails establishing public funds to reward sustainable practices or private funds to pay landowners who manage their land in ways that maximize ecosystem services. Assigning economic value to ecosystem services is another way to reward responsible land management.
(6) Establish long-term environmental projects in rural and urban schools. As most Americans live in cities, there is a growing disconnect between students and surrounding nature. The disconnect that exists in rural school districts must be considered as well. Environmentally engaged students are more likely to actively preserve their environment. Projects should engage students in the nature that cities have to offer, potentially highlighting aspects of nature like wildlife, water runoff or park rehabilitation. An allocation of funding from the state government will help the success of this endeavor. Schools will collaborate with local nature clubs, environmental awareness organizations like the Boy and Girl Scouts of America or the Sierra Club, and museums or parks departments on projects.
Why This Initiative is Important:
This proposal addresses the major challenges faced by American wildlife and offers comprehensive protection guidelines. By highlighting the importance of educational programs and developmental flaws, this proposal supports wildlife conservation through awareness and actionable change. Prioritizing conservation through market-based and property-rights-based initiatives lets landowners, fishermen and farmers have significant economic incentives to conserve the environment. This plan satisfies the conservation interests of most Americans, addressing key issues in wildlife conservation such as endangered species, fracking and habitat fragmentation.
Economic Impact (From Our Student Economist Team):
Increased costs in reducing urban sprawl would be offset by the consumer savings brought by long-term sustainability. Revising the Marine Catch Share system will preserve and bring back fishing jobs to our coastlines. Protecting species and habitats is essential to maintaining healthy tourism and employment opportunities. Estimated effect on the annual federal deficit: - $400 million.
Final Thought for Now:
“Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure for the progress and prosperity of our day.” – Gifford Pinchot (1910, The Fight for Conservation)
Acknowledgments:
The following student(s) worked on this nonpartisan proposal: Pragya Jain, American University; Ellery Saluck, Washington University in St. Louis; Marianne Swan, State University of New York College at Oneonta; Yoni Ferbank, Syracuse University; Gabby Ostrov, University of Vermont.
The following individuals worked with our student interns and contributed expertise, wisdom and moral support in the development of this proposal:
Note: Not all participants agree with every aspect of this proposal.
Sources:
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“The US Endangered Species Act.” World Wildlife Fund, World Wildlife Fund, https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/the-us-endangered-species-act.
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= www.nrdc.org/stories/we-could-do-lot-more-regulate-fracking
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