Denmark's development cooperation agency, Danida, increased its funding to the Northern Rangelands Trust—an umbrella organization for Kenya's wildlife conservancies—following the U.S. aid cuts. The additional funding does not fully offset the losses.
Date: 4/26
Region: Africa
Country: Kenya
Topic: Climate & Environment
Policy Lens: Climate & Resource Pressure
Entry Type: Secondary Effect
Additional Context: The NRT, is a nonprofit umbrella organization supporting 47 community conservancies in northern and coastal Kenya, as well as parts of Uganda. The organization was founded in 2004 and manages about 10% of Kenya's land mass. According to the Danish Institute for International Studies, the NRT functioned as a security actor in the region, coordinating conservation management and supporting interethnic peacebuilding and local security activities. Its operations have included anti-poaching patrols, early warning systems, regulating tourism access, and enforcing rotational grazing plans. Budget reductions will reduce frequency and reach of these activities, increase incentives for poaching, exacerbate human-wildlife conflict, and slow down mediation in disputes over land, pasture and water.
Devex Researcher Note: While both USAID and Danida supported the NRT for over a decade, with $20 million since 2015 and $31 million since 2012, respectively, the shutdown of USAID led the Danish government to increase its funding. According to a previous news report, NRT does not disclose the share of its annual budget provided by individual donors. Danida pledged an additional $7.63 million to NRT in the aftermath of the U.S. aid cuts.