Conservationists worldwide are grappling with the fallout from the Trump administration’s abrupt suspension of USAID and foreign aid, a move that has left crucial environmental projects in financial limbo, reports Ashoka Mukpo. For decades, the U.S. government has been a major funder of biodiversity initiatives, directing hundreds of millions of dollars toward combating deforestation, wildlife trafficking, and habitat loss. The sudden halt has conservation groups scrambling to secure alternative funding, as key programs grind to a halt.
USAID allocated $375.4 million to biodiversity projects in 2023, financing everything from ranger patrols to habitat restoration. Traditionally, this funding has enjoyed bipartisan support, protected by a “biodiversity earmark” in Congress’s annual appropriations.
“Whoever’s at the level of president or in control of the House, it hasn’t really changed funding for biodiversity,” said one aid worker involved in anti-wildlife trafficking projects in Africa. Yet, with the suspension of all foreign aid programs for at least 90 days, conservationists now face uncertainty over whether allocated funds will reach their intended recipients.
The impact is already being felt. In the Congo Basin, where the U.S. has historically been one of the largest conservation donors, USAID-backed ranger salaries have been slashed, forcing reserves to reduce patrols. Virunga National Park alone has received more than $23 million in U.S. funding since 2019. Now, the freeze has left researchers and local conservationists in limbo.
“We just had the plug pulled on us, and we don’t have a plan right now,” said Matthew Hansen of the University of Maryland’s Global Land Analysis & Discovery lab.
The disruption extends widely:
– In Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem, patrols protecting rhinos, tigers, and orangutans have been scaled back due to funding cuts.
– In Namibia, efforts to curb wildlife crime through community conservancies have been hobbled.
– Kenya’s conservancies—home to much of the country’s wildlife—were set to receive nearly $13 million from USAID this year. Without those funds, the incentives for local communities to preserve wildlife may erode, raising the risk of habitat loss and increased human-wildlife conflict.
The situation is compounded by the deletion of vast amounts of information from USAID’s website, obscuring details on which projects face immediate jeopardy. Conservationists are left in a financial and logistical vacuum, uncertain if or when funding might be restored. While a federal judge ordered the administration to reinstate aid on February 13, the ruling’s implementation remains unclear.
For now, conservation groups must triage. Some organizations will downsize; others may close operations altogether.
“If you take away support for civil society, government, and the environment, it’s not going to be good at all,” said Hansen.
Meanwhile, those still in the field must navigate an increasingly uncertain landscape, knowing that once lost, funding—and the progress it sustains—is difficult to recover.
