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3O REFLECTIONS ON THE ACT <br />ciples of biotechnology have added an urgent new reason to <br />protect the genetic diversity of nature. Suddenly we have <br />learned how to harness the unique genetic attributes of one <br />organism and implant them in another. This discovery has <br />opened the possibility for advances in agriculture and medicine <br />undreamed of two decades ago. -But the raw material for this <br />potential revolution in human welfare, bestowed upon us by <br />nature's great diversity, is threatened by our mindless destruc- <br />tion of its diversity. Herman Melville's classic observation that <br />"there is no folly of the beasts of the earth which is not infinitely <br />outdone by the madness of men" aptly describes our willingness <br />to countenance the destruction of yet another species, while its <br />very peculiarity may hold the key to advances in human welfare. <br />To fulfill the commitment Congress made in 1973, we need to <br />reinvigorate the nation's endangered species program. In partic- <br />ular, we need to provide it with the resources necessary to carry <br />out its basic objectives. The administration that assumed office <br />in January 1989 could make no clearer signal of its commitment <br />to an improved environment than by seeking the expanded re- <br />sources necessary to carry out the Endangered Species Act. <br />