Recent Stories
Enhancing Conservation Planning in Cambodia Through Innovative Participatory 3D Topographical Map
With support from USAID Morodok Baitang and partners, Putrom Village received hands-on guidance to create a 3D topographical map of the community’s land for improved conservation planning.
Making a Plan to Conserve the Gray-Shanked Douc Langur in Vietnam
Song Thanh National Park is one of Vietnam’s largest special-use forests, which are protected areas designated for conserving biodiversity, ecosystems, and cultural heritage, while also allowing for limited scientific research, ecotourism, and environmental education.
Unlocking Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Sustainable Cocoa Production
Recent studies have shown consumer sustainability demands are rising, and the cocoa industry is no exception.
Responsible Seafood Sourcing Gains Momentum in the Philippines
“Sustainable seafood” in the Philippines used to mean mostly imported seafood destined for high-end hotel chains.
Fishing for Solutions: Data-driven Pathways to Sustainable Fisheries in Indonesia
Indonesia, which stretches across more than 17,000 islands, is renowned for its rich marine biodiversity.
USAID Invites Partners to Share and Learn at Annual Local Capacity Strengthening Policy Forum
USAID will host the second annual Local Capacity Strengthening Policy Learning and Feedback Forum on October 1–10, 2024.
How Chocolate Stimulates Taste Buds, Forests, and Communities
This World Chocolate Day learn about how USAID’s HEARTH activities connect local cacao farmers to international corporations.
Journey to Excellence: Cat Tien National Park Joins IUCN’s Green List
Perched high up in a tree, a black-shanked douc langur peers down through the forest canopy in Cat Tien National Park.
Las Guarda Recursos
Marisol y Yeraldhyn laboran en sus respectivas zonas con el programa de Guarda Recursos del Instituto de Conservación Forestal, del Gobierno de Honduras.
U.S. Forest Service Trains Hondurans in Specialized Wildfire Fighting
With the effects of climate change yielding longer, more intense droughts in Central America, conditions are becoming increasingly threatening for devastating wildfires.
Honduras Youth Conservation Corps: A Global Success Story
What started as an experimental conservation and leadership program in rural Honduras focused on recruiting youth most likely to experience the negative effects of narcotics, violence, and immigration has transformed into an ambitious endeavor reaching young people across the globe.
On the Hook
The world depends on fisheries: over three billion people rely on them for food and jobs, and fisheries products contribute $500 billion each year to the global economy.
Staff Spotlight: Dino Delgado
Dino Delgado thinks of his role at USAID/Peru as a bridge: As the Environmental Governance Team Lead, he builds connections between colleagues, partners, and governments to strengthen efforts to combat nature crimes in the Amazon.
Growing for the Future: Safeguarding Coffee and Cocoa While Addressing Biodiversity and Climate Crises
Imagine waking up to a world without your morning cup of coffee or being able to enjoy your favorite chocolate.
Superfoods for a Super Forest
Bruno Kato is a businessman, which is why he understands the value of a healthy Amazon rainforest — to the planet, his community, and his company.
Shaping the Future of Female Conservationists in Tanzania
Supporting girls and women studying science is critical to promoting gender equity in conservation across the globe.
Nurturing Community-Led Conservation in Colombia
USAID recognizes the bond between the well-being of Colombia's natural environment and the prosperity of its people and actively empowers marginalized communities to participate in conservation endeavors.
Recognizing the Contributions of Colombia’s Indigenous Women
Indigenous women play a vital role in preserving and passing down traditional knowledge, cultural practices, and ancestral wisdom.
How Land Transformation and Migration Could Impact the Public Health Crisis Caused by Venomous Snakes
The World Health Organization (WHO) considers snakebite envenoming–the potentially life-threatening disease caused by toxins from a venomous snake–a Neglected Tropical Disease.
Linking Biodiversity and Climate: Resources from BiodiversityLinks and Climatelinks
The COP28 theme on December 9, 2023 was Nature, Land Use, and Oceans.
New Report and Photo Essays from Measuring Impact 2 Chronicle a Decade of Adaptive Management in USAID Biodiversity Programming
After more than a decade of implementing adaptive management in biodiversity programs through the Measuring Impact and Measuring Impact 2 activities, USAID undertook a learning initiative to understand conservation practitioners’ perceptions of applying adaptive management practices and their influence on program effectiveness.
Strengthening Democracy Through Participatory Natural Resource Management: Three Opportunities and One Challenge
In the late 1980s, the Bugis and To Lindu communities of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, faced a resource crisis.
At USAID Learning Event in the Philippines, Communities and Partners Celebrate Journey Toward Sustainable Fisheries
The USAID Fish Right Program promotes sustainable and resilient fisheries in the Philippines.
Announcing the Winners of the Combating Wildlife Trafficking Fail Forward Video Competition
USAID's Combating Wildlife Trafficking (CWT) Learning Group is delighted to announce the winners and honorable mentions from the first-ever Fail Forward video case competition.
A Former Fish Poacher No Longer Fears A Crocodile Demise
With spear in hand and nets at the ready, Joseph Mwanga was 21 when he started making a living by poaching.
FEWS NET Taking “One Health” Approach to Assessing Climate-Sensitive Threats to Food Security, Human Well-Being
The interconnectedness of life on Earth has never been more apparent, and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is using this perspective to explore how climate-sensitive health threats that impact food security and human well-being can be better predicted to help save lives.
Lessons Learned from USAID/Zambia’s Integrated Approach to Biodiversity Conservation
At the center of Zambia’s Greater Kafue Ecosystem, Kafue National Park is the country’s oldest and largest national park.
Transformative Partnerships for People and the Planet: HEARTH StoryMap
The well-being of people and the planet are inextricably linked—and they require both the public and private sectors to advance conservation and economic prosperity simultaneously.
Three Ways NASA and USAID are Supporting Biodiversity in the Amazon
May 22 is World Biodiversity Day, and this year we’re highlighting USAID’s commitment to protecting biodiversity in the Amazon Rainforest.
Biodiversity Photo Contest 2023
The results of the 2023 Biodiversity Photo Contest are in! Congratulations to our 10 winners.
USAID Biodiversity Policy Update
USAID established its first-ever Biodiversity Policy in 2014, outlining its vision to “conserve biodiversity in priority places and integrate biodiversity as an essential component of human development.
Seven Ways USAID is Investing in People and the Planet
USAID has been investing in the planet—and all of us who depend on it—for decades.
4 Ways Forests Support Our Physical and Mental Well-Being
Healthy ecosystems, especially forests, are at the root of One Health, a cross-sectoral collaborative approach to optimize well-being that integrates human, animal, and ecosystem health.
Celebrate an Unlikely Conservation Hero: Sea Cucumbers
Sea cucumbers—which expel their guts to keep predators at bay—represent immense benefits to communities and climate.
Together, We Thrive: How Community Support Can Make a Difference in Forest Conservation
Analysis of early data from a USAID-funded activity in Madagascar may reveal an important insight into how best to protect forests, encourage tree planting, and improve human well-being.
Machine Vision Protects Tree Biodiversity in Peru, Madagascar, and Indonesia
Illegal logging ranks third in transnational crime and costs billions of dollars in lost revenue annually.
How USAID Is Improving Climate Resilience of Biodiversity Programming
Nature is our first line of defense against the climate crisis, and climate-resilient biodiversity conservation must be part of the solution.
Uncovering What Works to Reduce the Pandemic Risk of Wildlife Trade
Illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products threatens hundreds of species while making people more vulnerable to crime, food insecurity and disease.
Annual Progress Report Released on USAID's Work in the Amazon
USAID recently published the Amazon Vision 2021 Report which provides insight into the results of USAID’s work in biodiversity and sustainable landscape initiatives.
Virtual Spaces Strengthen Ties For Brazil's Indigenous Women
USAID’s Strengthening the Capacity of Indigenous Organizations in the Amazon worked with the Union of Indigenous Women of the Brazilian Amazon to improve online access so its members could connect with each other in virtual spaces to collectively address solutions to local problems.
IUU, Climate Change & Geopolitics: A Triple Threat to Livelihoods in the Philippines
It doesn’t take long to see the deep interconnectedness of nature and community in the Calamianes Islands in the Philippines.
Improving the Sustainability of Indonesia’s Deepwater Fisheries
Since 2016, USAID’s Supporting Nature and People Partnerships for Enduring Resources (SNAPPER) has worked throughout Indonesia to improve the sustainability of Indonesia’s deepwater fisheries.
Biodiversity & The Climate Strategy
The USAID Climate Strategy recognizes the concurrent global crisis of accelerated biodiversity loss and the ways in which climate change undermines the resilience of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, increasing stress on already scarce resources.
Detecting Wildlife Crime in Real Time
How 3 winners of USAID’s Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge harness technology to improve enforcement.
If Only They Could See It All
How a solar-powered wildlife surveillance system allows conservation staff to monitor vast reserves — and stop poaching before it happens.
Rewards for Wildlife Whistleblowing
How an online platform has helped the United States’ fight against wildlife trafficking and corruption.
Success Story: Setting the Scene for Successful Community Engagement
Community theatre groups take action against wildlife crime.
Conservation is Development
This World Wildlife Day, USAID celebrates the ways biodiversity contributes to human well-being.
How USAID helps to advance climate and biodiversity solutions
"As one of the world’s largest biodiversity conservation funders, USAID is working to advance win-win solutions for climate and biodiversity.
Agility in changing times sets VukaNow up for success
Beginning in late 2019 and over the course of six months, the USAID VukaNow Activity had been planning for a combined five day, in-person learning event involving large gatherings of people and significant international travel – then COVID-19 hit.
Governance, Land Use Change, and Mitigating Viral Zoonotic Emergence at the Human-Environment Interface
The far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the urgent need to understand and mitigate future zoonotic disease emergence.
Reducing Demand for Wildlife Products: What We Have Learned from USAID Activities
To improve biodiversity program effectiveness at USAID, the Combating Wildlife Trafficking (CWT) Learning Group developed a learning agenda in 2016 and has since conducted a program of peer to peer learning and events focused on several key learning questions.
Announcing the Recently Released Environment and Energy Landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean Trends Analysis Report
In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), wildlife trafficking has economic, social, and health implications in addition to environmental impacts.
Measuring the Unmeasured: Assessing the Value of Evidence for Social Impact
The Program and Policy Change (PPC) Framework is a sector agnostic tool designed by the Research Division in the Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub at USAID.
Improving Community Resilience and Biodiversity Conservation from the Sale of Carbon Credits
The Experience of the Keo Seima REDD+ Project in Cambodia.
Announcing the new Climatelinks design and features!
Climatelinks has a new design and updated content – just in time for the United States to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord.
Introducing BiodiversityLinks: A New Knowledge Portal for Biodiversity Conservation
BiodiversityLinks, USAID’s newly refreshed and relaunched knowledge portal for biodiversity conservation, features key USAID tools and resources as well as new evidence and learning.
Cleared for Takeoff: Stopping Wildlife Trafficking in the Airline Sector
“Snakes on a plane” is real—not only a Hollywood tagline.
Building Bridges: Cross-Sectoral Approaches to Biodiversity Conservation, Governance, Health, and Food Security
The Wilson Center’s Environmental Change & Security Program, in partnership with USAID’s Biodiversity Results and Integrated Development Gains Enhanced (BRIDGE) project, created a three-part virtual series to hear from researchers and practitioners on lessons learned and entry points for action in the integration of biodiversity conservation, governance, public health, and food security.
Our Ocean Conference 2018
In October 2018, a cohort of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) staff traveled to Bali, Indonesia, to share knowledge, learn from world leaders and reaffirm a global commitment to the sustainable use and conservation of ocean resources.
Nature is a Treasure Trove for Human Well-being
And there is the plethora of research that supports it.
Ten Anti-Corruption Take-Aways from Forest Legality Week 2019
It’s becoming increasingly clear that corruption threatens the future of forests, forest-dependent communities, and our global response to climate change.
Peace, Security, and Conservation on Central Africa’s Radios
In honor of International Day of Peace in September, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) recognizes the efforts of those striving for peace, security, and environmental protection in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic.
Fishing For Equality and Sustainability
In a wooden boat on the estuary of the Densu River in Ghana, Cecila dips a salinator into the water and declares that the salinity is only two parts per thousand.
Hope for Tigers in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh’s Sundarbans—the world’s largest mangrove forest—every tiger counts.
A Year of Zero Poaching in Mozambique
After losing nearly 60 percent of its elephant population from 2011 to 2014, Mozambique’s Niassa National Reserve now has a victory to celebrate: one year with no recorded elephant poachings.
Three Ways Wild-Caught Fisheries Support Feed the Future’s Work in Africa
The contributions of wild-caught fisheries to livelihoods, nutrition and resilience in sub-Saharan Africa are too big to ignore.
Development is in Our Nature: A Day with the Center for International Forestry Research
In March 2019, USAID welcomed partners from the Center for International Forestry Research to share new findings and in-progress studies on forestry and development.
New USAID Ecosystem-based Adaptation Evidence Summary and Case Study Series
Finding ways to adapt to the effects of climate change is no longer optional for most communities — it is necessary.
Camera Traps and Google Earth: The Role of Information and Communication Technologies in Conservation
Through time-tested approaches and ICT innovations, USAID helps partner countries develop and use the resources needed to sustainably manage their natural resources.
Integrating Biodiversity and Sustainable Landscapes for Greater Impact: Considerations for Programming
Integrating biodiversity and sustainable landscapes objectives in development programming can increase the sustainability of interventions, amplify results, and reduce costs.
Celebrating Community-Led Conservation at Kenya’s Northern Rangelands Trust
On April 3, National Geographic hosted a discussion and screening for Kenya's USAID-supported Northern Rangelands Trust.
Share your expertise: USAID’s Biodiversity Integration Case Study Competition
Do you work on a project or activity that is increasing climate resilience or reducing carbon emissions while conserving biodiversity? Have you collaborated with colleagues across USAID to design a project or activity that has biodiversity outcomes and tackles development challenges across multiple programming areas? Are you trying to monitor biodiversity co-benefits in your climate change activities or projects?.
Women Bring New Perspectives to Wildlife Law Enforcement in Thailand
The international illicit trade in endangered wildlife is driving many species to extinction.
Using Cost-benefit Analysis to Identify Ecosystem-based Solutions to Climate Change Challenges
Ecosystems are fundamental to life on earth and provide goods and services that are essential to human well-being.
A Sea of Opportunities for Women’s Empowerment, Prosperity, and Sustainability in Fisheries
As a direct result of USAID prioritizing and investing in women’s entrepreneurship, and securing women’s access to capital, the El Rosario Cooperative in Nicaragua (pictured above — credit MAREA USAID) was able to transform their undervalued raw black cockles into high-value appetizers — increasing the value of their products by 1,100 percent.
USAID's Food For Peace Explores the Role of Wild-Caught Fisheries
USAID’s Office of Food For Peace and Office of Forestry and Biodiversity jointly organized a workshop to review the importance and contributions of wild-caught fisheries and to discuss the opportunities and challenges for addressing wild-caught fisheries management through Food For Peace programs.
DNA Detective Dogs Saving Pangolins
Sniffing her way through the forests of Nepal and Vietnam, Athena, an Australian Shepherd mix, and her trainer are working to save the world's most-trafficked mammal—the pangolin.
Symposium Features USAID Research Partnerships on Forests and Watersheds to Solve Complex Challenges to Food Security, Nutrition and Health
A symposium held at the Ronald Reagan Building on October 4 highlighted research that demonstrates linkages between the status of watersheds and forests and health and nutrition outcomes.
Using the Biodiversity Conservation Gateway: The Case of Nepal
The USAID Biodiversity Conservation Gateway is a resource repository created to support the programming and information needs of Agency staff, partners and the global biodiversity community.
The Wild Table: Fish, Forests and Food Security
What do chocolate, forests and fisheries management have in common? The answer lies at the intersection of biodiversity conservation and food security.
Flying Under the Radar: Wildlife Trafficking in the Air Transport Sector
Flying Under the Radar is the most comprehensive report on wildlife trafficking in the air transport sector to date, analyzing ivory, rhino horn, reptile and bird seizures from airports worldwide between 2009-2016.
Food Security and Health Depend on Biodiverse Ecosystems
Taylor Ricketts’ work focuses on the question: How do we meet the needs of both people and nature in an increasingly crowded, changing world?.
Nature is a Treasure Trove for Human Well-Being
And there is plenty of research that supports the connection between environmental health and human health.
Biodiversity and Food Security Are Inextricably Linked
Biodiversity underpins the ecosystem goods and services that enable sustainable development.
CIFOR's New Bushmeat Site
The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) launched a new website on bushmeat, or wild species that are hunted for food.
The Case for Integrated Development
Often the world’s most pressing and complex problems are addressed sector-by-sector rather than holistically.
