Predator Coexistence and Keystone Species Protection Act of 2026

Predator Coexistence and Keystone Species Protection Act of 2026

Context Note

Human treatment of predators reflects deep evolutionary habits formed over ~10,000 years of conflict-based survival. Modern ecological science now shows these habits are maladaptive at scale. This document formalizes a corrective legislative framework.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE

This Act may be cited as the Predator Coexistence and Keystone Species Protection Act of 2026.

SECTION 2. FINDINGS

Congress finds the following:

  1. Apex predators are keystone species essential to ecosystem stability, biodiversity, water quality, soil retention, and disease regulation through trophic cascades.
  2. Scientific evidence demonstrates that removal of predators leads to herbivore overpopulation, vegetation collapse, increased erosion, loss of songbird and pollinator habitat, and secondary public‑health impacts including tick‑borne disease proliferation.
  3. The eradication of predators in the United States was historically deliberate and incentivized through bounties and extermination campaigns, resulting in long‑term ecological imbalance that persists today.
  4. Recovery of predator populations, including wolves and large carnivores, has been empirically associated with vegetation regeneration, improved riparian health, increased biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience.
  5. Abrupt removal of federal protections following species recovery has repeatedly resulted in unsustainable mortality spikes driven by political pressure rather than ecological science.
  6. Livestock depredation creates real economic hardship for farmers and ranchers, but evidence shows nonlethal coexistence measures significantly reduce losses when properly funded and deployed.
  7. The absence of consistent national standards shifts the financial burden of coexistence onto individual landowners while externalizing ecological costs to the public.
  8. Stable ecosystems provide measurable economic benefits, including reduced infrastructure damage, improved water systems, lower long‑term management costs, and increased tourism and recreation revenue.
  9. Federal leadership and financial incentives are necessary to realign state wildlife policy with long‑term national ecological and economic interests.

SECTION 3. PURPOSES

The purposes of this Act are to:

  1. Restore and maintain ecologically functional predator populations as a matter of national environmental security.
  2. Replace fear‑driven and politically reactive predator policies with evidence‑based management standards.
  3. Internalize the true economic value of ecosystem stability into wildlife policy through targeted federal investment.
  4. Provide generous, predictable financial incentives to states, tribes, farmers, and landowners who participate in predator coexistence.
  5. Compensate livestock producers fairly and promptly for verified predator‑related losses to remove economic motivation for illegal or retaliatory killing.
  6. Encourage state compliance through performance‑based grants tied to measurable ecological outcomes.
  7. Prevent the cyclical pattern of predator recovery followed by sanctioned population collapse.

SECTION 4. DEFINITIONS

  • Covered Predator Species: Gray wolf, red wolf, grizzly bear, black bear, cougar (mountain lion), wolverine, lynx, coyote, fox (as designated).
  • Federal Public Lands: Lands managed by BLM, USFS, NPS, FWS, or DoD training reserves.
  • Killing Contest: Any organized activity that awards prizes or incentives for killing wildlife.
  • Indiscriminate Lethal Device: Any device incapable of species‑specific targeting, including poison ejectors and certain trap classes.
  • Nonlethal Coexistence Measures: Practices such as range riders, fladry, guard animals, fencing, carcass management, and deterrent hazing.
  • Post‑Delisting Management Compact (PDMC): A federally approved state management agreement.

SECTION 5. POST‑DELISTING MANAGEMENT COMPACTS

  1. Any covered predator species delisted under the Endangered Species Act within the previous ten years shall be subject to a PDMC.
  2. Each PDMC shall include:
    • Minimum viable population thresholds by recovery unit
    • Annual mortality caps inclusive of hunting, trapping, and control actions
    • Breeding‑female and pack‑structure protections
    • Mandatory monitoring and public reporting
    • Automatic corrective triggers if thresholds are exceeded
  3. Failure to comply shall result in suspension of federal lethal‑control cooperation funding.

SECTION 6. FEDERAL PUBLIC LAND PROHIBITIONS AND CONTROLLED MANAGEMENT

On federal public lands:

  1. Wildlife killing contests involving covered predator species are prohibited.
  2. Use of indiscriminate lethal devices, including cyanide ejectors, is prohibited.
  3. Federal permits may not authorize methods that intentionally orphan dependent young.

Controlled Population Management and Stakeholder Compromise Clause

  1. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit regulated hunting or lethal management when conducted as a legitimate wildlife‑management tool rather than a punitive or symbolic act.
  2. Authorized lethal management may occur when:
    a. A population assessment conducted jointly by federal scientists, state wildlife agencies, and independent ecologists demonstrates sustained population levels above regional ecological targets.
    b. Habitat damage, disease prevalence, or human–wildlife conflict exceeds established thresholds.
    c. Management objectives are explicitly restorative and time‑bound.
  3. To ensure broad public acceptance and compliance, management plans shall:
    • Preserve lawful hunting traditions under science‑based quotas
    • Prioritize resident and subsistence hunters over commercial or trophy interests
    • Allow state flexibility in season design within federally approved ecological limits
    • Incorporate hunter participation in data collection and monitoring
  4. Oversight shall focus on outcomes rather than ideology, recognizing that responsible hunters are essential partners in conservation and population management.

SECTION 7. COEXISTENCE GRANTS, INCENTIVES, AND CONDITIONAL COMPENSATION

  1. Establish a National Predator Coexistence and Restoration Fund.
  2. Funds shall be allocated for:
    • Nonlethal deterrent equipment and infrastructure
    • Training, staffing, and deployment of coexistence personnel
    • Rapid response conflict mitigation teams
    • Community education and technical assistance
  3. Livestock Compensation Program:
    • Full market‑value compensation for verified predator‑caused losses
    • Expedited payment timelines
    • No punitive reductions when reasonable nonlethal measures are employed
  4. State Performance Grants:
    • Annual grants awarded to states that meet or exceed predator population recovery benchmarks
    • Bonus funding for verified expansion of predator range into historical habitat
    • Additional incentives for states demonstrating reduced conflict through nonlethal practices
  5. Landowner Participation Bonuses:
    • Voluntary enrollment payments for landowners hosting breeding populations or corridors
    • Tax credits or direct payments for verified coexistence success
  6. Receipt of federal funds under this section shall require compliance with Post‑Delisting Management Compacts and reporting requirements.

SECTION 8. TRANSPARENCY AND DATA REPORTING

  1. Federal agencies shall publish annual reports detailing:
    • Predator mortalities on federal lands
    • Cause and method of mortality
    • Aggregated Wildlife Services control actions
  2. Data shall be publicly accessible while protecting sensitive location information.

SECTION 9. ENFORCEMENT

  1. Civil penalties shall apply for violations on federal lands.
  2. Outfitters and organizers may face permit suspension or revocation.
  3. Whistleblower protections shall apply to reporting illegal predator killing.

SECTION 10. RULEMAKING AND EFFECTIVE DATE

  1. This Act shall take effect 180 days after enactment.
  2. Implementing regulations shall be issued within one year.
  3. If any provision is held invalid, the remainder shall not be affected.

APPENDIX A — HUNTER–RANCHER ADVISORY COUNCIL

  1. Establish a Hunter–Rancher Advisory Council under the Department of the Interior.
  2. Membership shall include:
    • Licensed resident hunters
    • Ranchers and livestock producers
    • Tribal representatives
    • Wildlife biologists and ecologists
  3. The Council shall:
    • Provide nonbinding recommendations on coexistence policy
    • Review population data and conflict mitigation outcomes
    • Serve as a formal stakeholder feedback mechanism
  4. Participation shall be advisory only and shall not override scientific thresholds or statutory protections.

APPENDIX B — HERITAGE HUNTING PROTECTION CLAUSE

  1. Nothing in this Act shall be interpreted to abolish lawful, ethical, and science-based hunting traditions.
  2. Hunting conducted for subsistence, cultural heritage, food security, or population management is recognized as a legitimate conservation practice when performed within established ecological limits.
  3. This Act expressly rejects framing hunting communities as adversaries to conservation and affirms their historical role in funding and supporting wildlife management.

APPENDIX C — PILOT-STATE ROLLOUT PROGRAM

  1. The Secretary of the Interior shall designate a minimum of five voluntary Pilot States representing diverse ecological regions.
  2. Pilot States shall receive enhanced funding, technical support, and monitoring resources to implement this Act.
  3. Pilot programs shall be evaluated over a five-year period using metrics including:
    • Predator population stability
    • Livestock loss reduction
    • Ecosystem recovery indicators
    • Stakeholder compliance and satisfaction
  4. Findings shall be reported to Congress annually and used to refine nationwide implementation.

 

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