Sponsors (2)
The resolution aims to strengthen national biodiversity conservation (helping ecosystems, communities, and coordination) but trades off higher costs, potential land-use restrictions for local economies, and risks that under-resourced communities may not share equally in the benefits.
Households and local economies — especially rural and low-income communities — would benefit as ecosystem services (pollination, water filtration, soil health) are maintained, protecting agriculture, drinking water, and recreation.
Tribal and Indigenous communities would have their traditional ecological knowledge formally recognized and incorporated into conservation decisionmaking, supporting culturally appropriate actions.
Federal, state, and local governments would have improved coordination under a national policy, making conservation efforts on public lands and species protection more effective and efficient.
Private landowners, homeowners, and small businesses could face higher compliance costs if federal coordination expands programs or regulations.
Rural communities and small-business owners could see restricted land uses (development, resource extraction) that reduce local jobs and incomes where conservation is prioritized.
Tribal and low-income communities risk being insufficiently resourced to fully participate in federal initiatives, limiting their ability to benefit and potentially worsening inequities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Finds that a human-driven biodiversity crisis threatens ecosystem services and equity, and urges coordinated federal, state, tribal, local, private, and international leadership.
Official title: Expressing the need for the Federal Government to establish a national biodiversity strategy for protecting biodiversity for current and future generations.
Introduced May 22, 2025 by Jeff Merkley · Last progress May 22, 2025
Declares that the United States is experiencing a global biodiversity crisis driven largely by human activities, documents scientific findings about ecosystem damage and loss of services, and highlights disproportionate harms to Indigenous peoples, Tribal communities, communities of color, and low-income populations. It calls for coordinated federal action and collaboration with states, tribes, local governments, private landowners, and nongovernmental stakeholders, and urges U.S. leadership internationally on biodiversity response based on scientific guidance.