Additional Context: Wonders of the Mekong, or WoM, was a USAID-funded project entering its ninth year of implementation before it was abruptly terminated in early 2025. Set to continue until 2029, this $29.7 million project financed research and training activities related to the biome of the Mekong river, built capacity at local educational and policy institutions for research and conservGation efforts, and developed communication campaigns and partnerships.

In conversation with The Aid Report, a representative from the Wonders of the Mekong leadership team noted that they planned to train roughly 20 undergraduates and between six and ten graduate students every year through 2029, building out the institutional knowledge and local capacity to serve the Mekong conservation pipeline. These efforts have now been halted. These students were affiliated with the University of Nevada, Reno and the Royal University of Agriculture, Cambodia.

Source: Wonders of the Mekong