Whereas plants and wildlife provide incalculable services for humankind, including health, cultural, economic, recreational, and spiritual benefits, among others;

Whereas, in the United States and around the world, more than 2,300 species are recognized as at risk of extinction now or in the foreseeable future, and many more are experiencing declines in populations and future viability;

Whereas the planet is experiencing a biodiversity crisis, which many scientists conclude is the sixth mass extinction event, with plant and wildlife species across the globe facing heightened risk of extinction;

Whereas the United States has prioritized the conservation and recovery of imperiled species by enacting the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and other landmark conservation statutes;

Whereas conservation and protection efforts implemented under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) have successfully prevented the extinction of 99 percent of species designated as a threatened species or an endangered species, including the American bald eagle, loggerhead sea turtle, California condor, gray whale, whooping crane, Florida manatee, black-footed ferret, and Atlantic sturgeon;

Whereas many at-risk species have significant cultural and subsistence values to Tribal, indigenous, and Native Alaskan communities, whose Tribal leadership, ancestral lands, and traditional ecological knowledge play an invaluable role in species conservation and recovery;

Whereas species protection has secured economic growth in wildlife-related tourism and recreational economies, which supports millions of American jobs; and

Whereas the recovery of species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) is a remarkable success that should be celebrated: Now, therefore, be it