MR. SPEAKER:

I AM PROUD TO BE A CO-SPONSOR OF H.R. 2870, THE TROPICAL FOREST PROTECTION ACT, A MEASURE RECENTLY ADOPTED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND WHICH IS NOW BEFORE THE SENATE FOR CONSIDERATION.

I COMMEND THE AUTHORS OF THIS LEGISLATION -- THE GENTLEMAN FROM OHIO, MR. ROB PORTMAN, THE GENTLEMAN FROM OHIO, MR. JOHN KASICH, AND THE GENTLEMAN FROM INDIANA, MR. LEE HAMILTON -- FOR THEIR VISION AND LEADERSHIP IN CRAFTING THIS MEASURE WHICH FACILITATES DEBT REDUCTION IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES TO SUPPORT EFFORTS FOR CONSERVATION OF THEIR FRAGILE TROPICAL FORESTS. I ALSO COMMEND THE HOUSE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN BEN GILMAN AND THE GENTLEMAN FROM MINNESOTA, MR. BRUCE VENTO, FOR THEIR IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS THAT HAVE IMPROVED THE BILL.

MR. SPEAKER, THE PROVISIONS OF H.R. 2870 BASICALLY ALLOW LESS-DEVELOPED NATIONS THAT OWE LOANS TO THE UNITED STATES TO RESTRUCTURE THEIR DEBT REPAYMENT, FUNNELING SAVINGS INTO A

TROPICAL RAIN FOREST PROTECTION FUND, WHICH WILL PROVIDE FOR THE CONSERVATION AND MAINTENANCE OF NATIVE FOREST RESOURCES IN EACH PARTICIPATING COUNTRY. TO QUALIFY, COUNTRIES WITH SUBSTANTIAL TROPICAL FORESTS MUST DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY SUPPORT HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT, AND THAT THEY ARE OPPOSED TO NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING AND INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM.

MR. SPEAKER, ACCORDING TO THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND, UP TO 42 MILLION ACRES OF TROPICAL FORESTS ARE BEING DEVASTATED EACH YEAR THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. INDEED, APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF OF THE WORLD'S TROPICAL FORESTS NO LONGER EXIST; AND IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION ALONE IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 88% OF ORIGINAL FOREST LANDS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.

THESE CARELESS ACTIONS HAVE A DRAMATIC NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT THAT IS GLOBAL IN NATURE. THE DESTRUCTION OF TROPICAL FOREST LANDS ON THIS SCALE DESTROYS THE EARTH'S

ABILITY TO RECYCLE CARBON DIOXIDE, SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTING TO GREENHOUSE GASES AND CLIMATE WARMING. PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE SACRIFICE AND LOSE THE RICH AND UNIQUE BIODIVERSITY OF THESE TROPICAL FOREST ECOSYSTEMS, WHICH, INCIDENTALLY, CONTAIN OVER HALF OF THE WORLD'S PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES.

MR. SPEAKER, I WOULD ESPECIALLY COMMEND CONGRESSMAN VENTO FOR HIS AMENDMENTS TO THE BILL THAT RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF TROPICAL FOREST PLANTS FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT OF

HUMAN ILLNESSES AND THAT NATIVE PEOPLES FROM THE RAIN FORESTS SHOULD BE CONSULTED TO GAIN THEIR TREMENDOUS KNOWLEDGE ON THE MEDICINAL USES OF PLANTS THAT ARE INDIGENOUS TO THEIR TROPICAL RAIN FORESTS.

TO ILLUSTRATE HIS CONCERNS, CONGRESSMAN VENTO CITED THE OUTSTANDING WORK OF DR. PAUL ALAN COX, ONE OF THE FINEST ETHNOBOTANISTS IN THE WORLD TODAY, WHO IS ESPECIALLY NOTED FOR HIS STUDIES AND RESEARCH WORK IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC.

I HAVE KNOWN DR. COX FOR SEVERAL YEARS FROM HIS WORK IN THE SAMOAN ISLANDS AND THROUGHOUT POLYNESIA, AND I AM EXTREMELY GRATIFIED THAT DR. COX WAS HONORED BY TIME MAGAZINE AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S TOP 10 MEDICAL SCIENTISTS IN 1997.

DR. COX FIRST CAME TO SAMOA IN THE EARLY 1970s AS A YOUNG MORMON MISSIONARY. HE BECAME ENCHANTED WITH SAMOA AND IMMERSED HIMSELF IN THE SAMOAN CULTURE, LEARNING TO READ AND WRITE FLUENTLY IN THE SAMOAN LANGUAGE. AFTER HIS DEPARTURE FROM THE ISLANDS TO OBTAIN HIS DOCTORATE DEGREE FROM HARVARD UNIVERSITY, DR. COX LATER JOINED THE FACULTY AT BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY IN PROVO, UTAH. DR. COX IS ALSO THE NEWLY- APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL TROPICAL FORESTRY BOTANICAL GARDEN IN HAWAII.

IN 1984, DR. COX, WITH HIS FAMILY, RETURNED TO SAMOA TO PURSUE HIS POST-GRADUATE STUDIES OF PLANTS FOUND IN RAIN FORESTS. THE DEATH OF HIS MOTHER FROM CANCER MOTIVATED DR. COX TO SEARCH FOR NEW AVENUES OUTSIDE OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE FOR TREATING INCURABLE DISEASES. RESIDING IN THE ISOLATED VILLAGE OF FALEALUPO ON THE ISLAND OF SAVAI'I, DR. COX INITIATED RESEARCH ON HOW NATIVE SAMOAN HEALERS UTILIZED CERTAIN PLANTS FROM THE RAIN FOREST FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES.

OVER THE YEARS, TRAVELING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN SAMOA AND THE U.S. TO CONDUCT RESEARCH, DR. COX HAS DISCOVERED 74 MEDICINAL PLANTS WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF NATIVE SAMOAN HEALERS. EXTRACTS FROM THE LEAVES, BARK AND ROOTS OF THE RAIN FOREST PLANTS HAVE PROVEN EFFECTIVE IN TREATING ILLNESSES FROM HIGH FEVER TO APPENDICITIS TO ASTHMA. IN PARTICULAR, ONE NEW PLANT-DERIVED DRUG ISOLATED BY DR. COX, PROSTRATIN, HOLDS THE PROMISE OF A CURE FOR AIDS.

MR.SPEAKER, MOST OF THE EARTH'S 265,000 FLOWERING PLANTS ARE LOCATED IN TROPICAL REGIONS, AND LESS THAN 1% OF THESE PLANTS HAVE BEEN TESTED FOR EFFECTIVENESS AGAINST DISEASE. IN CONTINUING HIS WORK WITH NATIVE HEALERS, DR. COX HOPES TO FIND THE ANSWER TO CANCER, ALZHEIMER'S AND OTHER INCURABLE DISEASES IN THE RAIN FORESTS OF SAMOA AND THE WORLD. HOWEVER, THE DECIMATION OF TROPICAL FORESTS THREATENS TO PREVENT THE DISCOVERY OF HUNDREDS OF NEW MEDICAL DRUGS.

FOR HIS EFFORTS TO STOP THE DESTRUCTIVE LOGGING OF THE RAIN FORESTS OF SAVAI'I, DR. PAUL COX IS GREATLY RESPECTED BY THE SAMOAN PEOPLE. HE HAS EVEN BEEN BESTOWED THE SAMOAN MATAI TITLE OF "NAFANUA" BY THE VILLAGE ELDERS OF FALEALUPO ON THE ISLAND OF SAVAI'I, AS A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION FOR ALL THAT HE HAS DONE FOR THE VILLAGERS, INCLUDING ESTABLISHMENT OF A 30,000 ACRE RAIN FOREST PRESERVE AND CONSTRUCTION OF A PRIMARY SCHOOL FOR THE VILLAGE CHILDREN.

MR. SPEAKER, AGAIN I WANT TO COMMEND DR. PAUL COX FOR HIS LIFE'S WORK DEVOTED TO RESEARCH AND PROTECTION OF THE TROPICAL RAIN FORESTS OF SAMOA AND OTHER REGIONS OF THE WORLD. BY FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS OF NATIVE HEALERS, DR. COX PERHAPS BEST EXEMPLIFIES THE NEED FOR OUR SO-CALLED MODERN TECHNO- LOGICAL WORLD NOT TO DISREGARD THE TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF KNOWLEDGE THAT CAN BE OBTAINED FROM INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF CERTAIN PLANTS THAT HAVE MEDICINAL AND HEALING VALUE. WHAT DR. COX IS SAYING TO US IS THAT THERE IS MUCH THAT OUR MODERN WORLD CAN LEARN FROM NATIVE CULTURES.

MR. SPEAKER, AGAIN I SUPPORT THE PROVISIONS OF H.R. 2870, AND I COMMEND MY COLLEAGUES FOR THEIR ENDORSEMENT AND PASSAGE OF THIS LEGISLATION.

MR. SPEAKER, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, AND I YIELD BACK THE BALANCE OF MY TIME.