President Biden and the State Department have appointed Monica Medina as the country's first special envoy for biodiversity and water resources. Medina currently serves as the department's assistant secretary for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs and is the wife of White House chief of staff Ron Klain.
Creating the position is in line with the Biden administration's goal of protecting habitats in the U.S. and abroad, The Washington Post writes. Medina's appointment comes just before an international biodiversity conference that will take place in Montreal in December. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity, also known as COP-15, is a gathering aimed at creating international frameworks for conservation.
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