The Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008

THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 (CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008) -- (House of Representatives - December 19, 2007)

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Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, for many years, our government has been involved in the funding of several successful conservation programs that are supported by recreational, sport and trophy hunting programs in Africa. The Committee wisely spoke to these important programs in the Statement of the Managers which accompanies the Omnibus Appropriations legislation. I support the language and welcome the USAID coming before the Appropriations Committee and detailing these important conservation projects.

Initially, the language in the State Foreign Operations Report denied USAID funding of recreational, sport and trophy hunting in its assistance programs in Africa. Again, the language in the Statement of the Managers to accompany the Omnibus legislation offers out the opportunity for the USAID conservation projects to continue and further states that they need to come before the Committee and explain these important conservation programs. I support this effort and commend the Committee on this language.

Tourist hunting in foreign lands has proven to be vital and critical to community-based natural resource management programs such as the CAMPFIRE Program in Zimbabwe and the LIFE Plus Project in Namibia.

These programs provide conservation and social benefits like growth, revenue, poverty reduction, improved livelihoods and empowerment--all of which alleviate human suffering. Isn't that what we are trying to accomplish with these programs? Closer to home, National Geographic News reported in March of 2007 that ``trophy hunting is of key importance to conservation in Africa by creating [financial] incentives to promote and retain wildlife as a land use over vast areas...''

As I previously mentioned, the CAMPFIRE and the LIFE Plus Projects in Africa are just two examples of working conservation programs that involve controlled, regulated sport and trophy hunting. These programs literally support the entire tribal system in many areas of Africa. The programs which are funded with matching funds from groups like the World Wildlife Fund and the Dallas Safari Club supply money for drinking water wells and schools for the local population. Without these programs, literally millions of acres that are properly managed now would fall prey to poachers and the land would prove to have no economic value. Animals in this environment would be killed for food, over-hunted and poached. These programs provide conservation and social benefits like growth, revenue, poverty reduction, improved livelihoods and empowerment--all of which alleviate human suffering.

The USAID conservation programs are extremely important to the survival of many species worldwide and I thank the Appropriations Committee for recognizing that the language in the Foreign Operations House Report needed to be revised and I thank the Committee for speaking to it appropriately in the Statement of the Managers that accompanies the Omnibus legislation.

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