"In my opinion, this country stands at a conservation crossroad," said Saxton. "Do we continue to establish species-specific grant programs, like the African and Asian Elephant Conservation Acts, or do we now develop a more holistic approach to species conservation that targets endangered species outside the 'charismatic-mega vertebrate' arena, such as cheetahs, Chinese alligators, mountain gorillas and pandas.

"In each case, the affected range states lack the financial resources to adequately protect these animals within their borders," said Saxton. "The United States and the international community must take a leadership role in trying to stop the disappearance of these flagship species. The issue of Tuesday's hearing is whether we create yet another species-specific grant program or a new multi-species conservation fund that would benefit many imperiled animals."

H.R.4320, the Great Ape Conservation Act, was introduced by U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA). The Act would establish the Great Ape Conservation Fund to assist in the conservation of great apes by supporting and providing financial resources for the conservation programs of countries within the range of great apes and projects of persons with demonstrated expertise in the conservation of great apes.

The vast majority of endangered or threatened species throughout the world receive little, if any, U.S. funding. Presently, three U.S. grant programs exist (via the Fish and Wildlife Service) for conservation of species in their natural habitat: the African Elephant, Asian Elephant, and Rhino and Tiger Conservation Acts and their related Funds (commonly known as the Multinational Species Conservation Fund). In Fiscal Year 2000, collectively, these programs received $2.4 million. Currently, no general program exists to address the general need to conserve all other imperiled species outside the United States.

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