The head of a conservation project in the Mekong River Basin said: “We talk about impacts abroad, but for us it was a significant loss for our [American] students to be able to work together with other universities and other people. It was about working together, globally. To lose that is such a significant blow. We lost that leadership and ability for people to work together on a grassroots level — that’s the biggest loss.”
Date: 6/26
Region: Global
Country: Global
Topic: Climate & Environment, Education
Policy Lens: Moral Leadership
Entry Type: Field Observation
Additional Context: Wonders of the Mekong was a USAID-funded project entering its ninth year of implementation before it was abruptly terminated in early 2025. With plans to continue through 2029, this $29.7 million project conducted applied research, built capacity, and implemented outreach and communication strategies to highlight the natural, economic, and cultural capital of the Lower Mekong River.
This quote is attributed to Sudeep Chandra, research professor and co-director of the Wonders of the Mekong project. The project was implemented by the University of Nevada's Tahoe Institute for Global Sustainability. After almost a decade operating in Cambodia in close collaboration with local authorities and universities, the project had launched a new phase of expansion meant to cover Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand, which would allow for a closer cross-border integration in conservation, research, and livelihoods programming along the Mekong River. According to the organization, the termination of this project affected seven educational institutions in the U.S., three in Cambodia, around ten local organizations supported through direct community funding and about 18 individuals spanning staff, graduate students, and more. Private funders provided limited amounts of money after the U.S. aid cuts, but the majority of the project's work was forced to end.
Source: Wonders of the Mekong