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After a sweeping dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, conservation projects protecting wildlife, forests, and ecosystems across dozens of countries are collapsing due to funding cuts.
Adam Welz reports for Yale Environment 360.
In short:
Key quote:
“All of that work was just stopped overnight. And the way it was done was impossible to plan for and very difficult to recover from.”
— Zeb Hogan, co-lead of the Wonders of the Mekong project
Why this matters:
USAID played a unique role in tying environmental protection to humanitarian development, a crucial bridge in countries with fragile ecosystems and governance. Its collapse leaves critical conservation areas — rainforests, rivers, savannahs — exposed to exploitation, and local communities without support for managing natural resources sustainably. The sudden withdrawal risks tipping vulnerable regions into greater instability, undermining years of trust-building with indigenous communities and conservation networks. Without stable funding, wildlife crime could spike, and natural carbon sinks like the Amazon and Congo Basin may be further degraded, accelerating global climate risks. Furthermore, the erosion of U.S. influence in conservation leaves space for illicit interests to fill the vacuum, threatening not just biodiversity but also local economies and health outcomes tied to intact environments.
Read more: USAID cancels thousands of contracts, cutting climate and energy programs
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The region received an “F” grade for particulate matter from the American Lung Association
Trump administration’s shutdown of USAID devastates global conservation efforts – ehn.org
