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Dr. Boozman's Check-up

Protecting Wildlife

Jun 13 2017

We want to continue to ensure Arkansas is rightly called the Natural State so our children and grandchildren can enjoy all we have been blessed with. 

In Arkansas, there are 32 threatened and endangered species. According to the Union for Conservation of Nature, there are more than 16,000 endangered species threatened with extinction on Earth. It is imperative that we protect these species, stop illegal poaching and trafficking and promote the conservation and responsible management of all of God’s creatures.  

That is why I am proud to announce that the Wildlife Innovation and Longevity Driver (WILD) Act recently passed the Senate. The WILD Act, which I am proud to cosponsor, will enable us to promote wildlife conservation, assist in the management of invasive species and help protect endangered species. 

Specifically, this bill will reauthorize and fund the Department of the Interior’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program until fiscal year 2022. Federal agencies must also implement strategic programs to control invasive species and reauthorize programs to protect endangered species. Most importantly, the WILD Act will establish competitions for the private sector to encourage the development of innovative technology and create solutions for wildlife management and prevention of poaching and trafficking.  

The WILD Act is supported by both the World Wildlife Fund and the Family Farm Alliance. Partnerships like these are more effective at protecting species and wildlife rather than the costly and job killing regulations that stem from the top-down. I firmly believe that the bipartisan WILD Act will enable us to better protect and conserve our wildlife around the world. It is for these reasons that I am cosponsoring the WILD Act and encourage the House of Representatives to follow our lead and pass the bill so we can make it law.