The manager of a biodiversity protection project reflected on the U.S. aid cuts affecting conservation initiatives: "Existing conservancies need to deepen their institutional capacity and secure long-term funding from project-based donor models to ecosystem financing."
Date: 8/25
Region: Global
Country: Global
Topic: Climate & Environment
Policy Lens: Climate & Resource Pressure
Entry Type: Field Observation
Additional Context: This quote is attributed to Victor Murunga, the planning, monitoring, and evaluation manager for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, or IFAW. IFAW was implementing a $7.8 million USAID grant, set to continue through 2027 but terminated in the middle of implementation. The project aimed to transform Kenya's Amboseli and Tsavo ecosystems through strengthened biodiversity protection services and natural resource governance. While such elements were already included in the cancelled grant's formulation, Murunga reflects that the use of biodiversity credits, public-private conservation concessions, and national green funds need to have increased priority for environmental organizations' funding strategies as a whole.
Devex Researcher Note: This reflection on the need to diversify beyond donor dependency is part of a broader conversation regarding climate finance following cuts from the U.S. and other donors, with some analysts arguing climate finance and diversified private investment as a solution for the sector going forward. This is especially true after USAID cuts laid bare a structural dependency on donor-based models.