Sec. 2. Findings and purpose
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Congress finds that— an effective means of conserving and recovering Federal trust species and promoting self-sustaining populations of those species is to protect, conserve, restore, and enhance the habitats of the species; coastal ecosystems are highly dynamic areas that provide valuable breeding, nursery, staging, and resting areas for a rich diversity of fish, shellfish, migratory birds, and mammals; coastal areas support— 40 percent of the refuges within the National Wildlife Refuge System; 40 percent of the threatened species or endangered species, including 75 percent of the listed mammals and birds, under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. ); and 50 percent of the fisheries conservation activities of the Service; although coastal counties make up only 10 percent of total contiguous United States land area, coastal areas are home to more than 40 percent of the human population of the United States, which is placing enormous pressure on coastal ecosystems; because coastal deterioration can cause fragmentation and landward migration of coastal ecosystems, as well as create new habitats along shorelines, it has become necessary to incorporate adaptation assistance into coastal ecosystem management strategies; in addition to serving as fish and wildlife habitat, coastal ecosystems— serve as an important source of food; protect coastal communities, including infrastructure in those communities, against floods; filter polluted runoff; and provide valuable commercial and recreational benefits to coastal communities and the United States; fish and wildlife conservation is a responsibility shared by citizens and government; and public-private partnerships should be supported through technical assistance and financial assistance to conduct coastal habitat assessment, protection, planning, restoration, and enhancement projects in coastal ecosystems; successful fish and wildlife conservation increasingly relies on interdependent partnerships in which priority setting, planning, and conservation delivery are collaborative endeavors; since 1985, the Service has administered the Coastal Program through which the Service works with willing partners to assess, protect, plan, restore, and enhance coastal ecosystems, including coastal wetlands and watersheds, uplands, and riparian and in-stream habitats, that provide significant benefits to Federal trust species; through the Coastal Program, the Service provides strategic conservation planning and design at the regional and landscape scales, and integrates the resources of the Service to address priorities identified by partners; and the Coastal Program of the Service complements and enhances the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program under section 305 of the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act ( 16 U.S.C. 3954 ), which provides matching grants to coastal States to support long-term conservation of coastal wetlands and associated habitats.
The purpose of this Act is to legislatively authorize the Coastal Program of the Service in effect as of the date of enactment of this Act to conduct collaborative landscape-level planning and on-the-ground coastal habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement projects in priority coastal areas to conserve and recover Federal trust species.
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