Press Releases
Rep. Van Drew Introduces Legislation to Protect Wild Birds From Global Extinction
Washington, DC,
May 10, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Congressman Jeff Van Drew introduced the Wild Bird Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2019 which would reauthorize for five years the Act originally signed by President George Bush in 1992. The Wild Bird Conservation Act (WBCA) encourages wild bird conservation programs in countries of origin and ensures that exotic bird species are not harmed by international trade. The WBCA regulates the importation of wild birds into the United States to ensure that our imports do not lead to the extinction of bird species in the wild. It promotes conservation of exotic birds by assisting wild bird conservation and management programs in the countries of origin of wild birds, ensures that all trade in species of exotic birds involving the United States is biologically sustainable and not detrimental to the species, and limits or prohibits imports of exotic birds when necessary. “As we were recently reminded by a report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, the health of global ecosystems is degrading at a fast pace and that has consequences for the survival of many species, and for the livelihoods of people whose jobs are dependent on nature,” said Rep. Van Drew. “We should not put additional stressors on God’s creatures through irresponsible trade practices in wild birds.” John Calvelli, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Executive Vice President for Public Affairs, said, “For more than 25 years, the Wild Bird Conservation Act has been the cornerstone of U.S. efforts to protect endangered species like scarlet macaws, Amazon parrots, and African grey parrots by ensuring that that all trade in exotic birds involving the U.S. is both biologically sustainable and not detrimental to the species. WCS would like to thank Rep. Van Drew for introducing this legislation to take the next step that was originally intended in the bipartisan 1992 Act to directly support work to conserve these species in the wild.” “We greatly appreciate Rep. Van Drew’s leadership to conserve birds and prevent abuses in the wildlife trade,” said Jennifer Cipolletti, Director of Conservation Advocacy at American Bird Conservancy. For years, habitat loss, local use and the international pet trade in wild birds has led to a decline of species in the wild. As a large importer of exotic birds, the United States should play a critical role to solving these problems, including assisting countries of origin in implementing programs of wild bird conservation and ensuring that the domestic market for exotic birds does not factor into the decline of species in the wild. The bill is endorsed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, National Audubon Society, and the American Bird Conservancy. ### |
