Walking Like a Duck: The Wildlife Diversity Funding Initiative

Abstract

"In 1996, a wide coalition of interest groups, fish and wildlife agencies, and some industries proposed a new federal excise tax on selected wildlife-associated recreation equipment and supplies. This proposal, known as the Wildlife Diversity Funding Initiative (WDFI), is intended to provide federal funds for state nongame species and habitat conservation. It is modeled after successful funding programs for game and sportfish restoration. However, the game and sportfish programs are successful because of remarkable congruence between costs borne by hunters and fishers and benefits received by the same group. They are strongly supported by industry, and the agencies which administer the funds are deeply involved with the user group, which has considerable input into management decisions. However, the situation variables for the successful programs are not duplicated in the WDFI. The WDFI does not charge costs to the resource users that are clearly balanced by benefits; it does not have industry support, and the resource users are not direct participants in the rulemaking procedures which affect the resource."