Money has restored coral reefs in Seychelles, helped to create a national park in Vietnam and turned into former guerrillas in Colombia. He has created tiger preservation programs and brought back the wild in areas decimated by bloody political turmoil.
All of this is among the amazing programs affected by the possible interruption of Trump’s administration administration by the United States International Development Service, which, in addition to its other work, has created and maintains national parks abroad and conservation areas. .
This role now has an uncertain future. On Thursday, USAID leaders found that the Trump administration was planning to reduce almost all jobs in the organization and cancel hundreds of grants and contracts. Congress Democrats say that any move to eliminate the organization could be illegal.
National parks have been shown to be a stabilizing force for countries around the world, creating local businesses and jobs, protecting fragile ecosystems and starting tourist efforts and other financial opportunities. Communities around parks and canned often benefit from new or improved health services and schools. Economic benefits can reduce the need for migration of locals, either internally or abroad.
In Colombia, the Ecotourism Program of the destination maintains forest and natural habitats in six areas previously occupied by guerrillas, paramilitary groups and drug traffickers. The five -year $ 40 million program, entirely funded by USAID, supports the functions and infrastructure to attract international travelers. One of the habitats that are being developed includes the Ciudad Perdida, older than Machu Picchu in Peru, in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta series.
Activities for visitors include hiking, rafting and birding, often driven by former guerrilla fighters who have become drivers. Most of these destinations are located outside the beaten trail in a country where tourism is sizzling – Colombian visitors’ numbers reached a record high in 2023, up to 25 % from 2022. United States.
USAID also helped to establish Tudr Song National Park in Central Vietnam, funded the creation of marine protected areas in Papua New Guinea and restored coral reefs in Seychelles. The funding of the Organization has contributed to the creation of the system of Gabon national parks and to create a tiger conservation program in Bangladesh.
After a 16 -year civil war in Mozambique, more than 95 % of the large mammals in the country, USAID provided support for the wildlife and restoration of habitats in the Gorongosa National Park of 1.6 million acres. It now resorted to more than 100,000 animals, including elephants, lions, horsemen, antelope, painted wolves, liquids and leopard. In 2023, USAID grants trained almost 470 rangers, provided veterinary care and ran local youth and meals training programs. Gorongosa only receives a few thousand visitors a year, but about half of them come from the United States.
Greg Carr, American charity and businessman, is the founder of the non -profit project Gorongosa, which is working with the Mozambique government to support the park. He said the funding of national parks abroad is in the national interest of the United States.
“There are four international criminal operations that are closely linked: human trafficking, drug trafficking, arms trafficking and exotic wildlife trafficking. They are often the same groups involved in all four,” he said.
USAID funding for Gorongosa amounts to $ 5 million a year, in which Mr Carr then contributed $ 7 million and the amounts of money to reach the annual $ 25 million operating budget. “Thus, USAID money is used five times as much,” he said.
Jay L. Knott, a former USAID external employee who worked in Gorongosa and other parts of the world, said USAID has played an important, early role in tourist efforts, “setting the table” to create a foundation through early conservation of Habitats, the development of a revenue model and the training of local staff. For example, USAID years ago provided basic funding that began the restoration of the former and ruined Ghana forts. It is now a great tourist draw.
Successful tourism destinations require vision, cooperation and commitment, Mr Knott said. USAID seed investment in parks are often overthrown and resembled national governments, charities and investors to follow their example. The loss of USAID would affect the viability of current parks as well as the prospects for future national parks.
“This means missed opportunities for preservation, tourism, US business investment opportunities, local communities that are more prone to volatility and terrorist influence – all this,” he said.
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