Introduction

Many of the chapters in this volume have explored either the scientific or the ethical dimensions of the biodiversity issue. Others have examined some of the practical techniques of conserving biological diversity, from germplasm preservation to ecological restoration. The ambition of this chapter is to survey the field of public policy, which attempts to meld all of these and more. Its task is to explore what policy makers in Congress, guided by an often very superficial understanding of the scientific issues, torn by seemingly conflicting ethical imperatives, and utterly without any practical experience in the techniques of conservation, have recently propounded as the nation's public policy with respect to the conservation of biological diversity. This chapter will also examine the recent initiatives of those in the federal agencies charged with implementing congressional policies. The aim is to convey a better understanding of both the limits and the opportunities for advancing the conservation of biodiversity through the recent initiatives of public policy makers.

An evolving awareness of the importance of biological diversity

The origins of many of today's federal policies concerning the conservation of biological diversity can be traced to about a century ago. Three initiatives stand out prominently in the early part of that history. The first was the creation of the national parks, starting with Yellowstone in 1872. The second was the establishment of national forests in the final decade of the Nineteenth Century. The last was enactment of the first significant federal wildlife legislation, the Lacey Act of 1900. Many of the impulses behind these original conservation initiatives can be perceived to be still at work in current public policies.