The U.S. Agency for International Development is an independent
federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from
the Secretary of State. The Agency supports long-term and equitable economic
growth and advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting: economic
growth, agriculture and trade; global health; and, democracy, conflict prevention
and humanitarian assistance.
DOS and U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID) Strategic Plan
Biodiversity
Program - The U.S. Foreign Assistance Act mandates USAID to
address biodiversity concerns. Section 119 of the Act emphasizes biodiversity
conservation as one of the roles of USAID. One of the Agency’s
strategic goals is to reduce long-term threats to the global environment,
particularly loss of biodiversity and climate change. USAID activities
address biodiversity concerns in 64 countries through programs in habitat
and species conservation, natural resources management, land management,
water resources management, ecotourism, agroforestry, providing fiscal
incentives for biodiversity conservation, and others. USAID’s biodiversity
conservation related programs include:
Centrally Funded Biodiversity Programs
- Biodiversity Conservation Programs - (including the Global Conservation
Program)
- Forest Conservation Programs – focus on sustainable forest management,
including fire management, reduced impact logging, certification
of forest products, illegal logging, conservation in protected areas,
and community based management
- Water Resources Management – focus on Coastal, Marine, and Freshwater
Ecosystem Mgmt.
- Lake Basin Initiative
- Agriculture - Israeli Programs: Middle Eastern Reg. Cooperation -
Biodiversity Programs
- Agriculture - Global Livestock Collaborative Research Support Program
Regional Programs
Africa
- Regional Sustainable Development Office – focus on Community
Based Natural Resource Management
- Regional Center for Southern African Region – focus on cooperation
for management of southern Africa ’s shared natural resources
and wildlife
- Regional Economic Development Service Office for East and Southern
Africa
- Central Africa Region Program for the Environment (CARPE) in the Congo
Basin
- Central
Africa Mountain Gorilla Habitat Conservation
- Congo River Environment and Development Project
- Ghana Economic Growth - Ecotourism and Agroforestry Forest
- Guinea Increased Use of Sustainable NRM Practices
- Kenya Improved NRM in Targeted Biodiversity Areas
- Madagascar Biologically Diverse Ecosystems Conserved in Priority Conservation
Zones
- Malawi Incr. Sustainable Use, Conservation and Management of Renewable
Resources
- Namibia Conservation of Habitats & Promotion of Nature Tourism
- Namibia
Cheetahs Conservation Fund
- Tanzania Improved Conservation of Coastal Resources and Wildlife
- Uganda Critical Ecosystems Conserved to Sustain Biodiversity
- Zambia Community Based NRM and Sustainable Agriculture Program
- Borneo
and Sumatra Orangutans Program
Asia and Near East Region (ANE)
- East Asia and Pacific Environment Initiative – focus on forest
and land-use management, coastal and marine resources management,
and environmental pollution
- ANE Office of Technical Support: Program Design and Learning -
focus on environmental policy analysis and expert advise.
- Global Dev. Alliance : Papua/Bird’s Head Regional Development
- Egypt Environmental Policy Program
- Bangladesh Improved Management of Open Waters and Tropical Forest
Resources
- Indonesia Strengthened & Decentralized NRM
- Nepal Strengthened Governance of Natural Resources and Selected Institutions
- Philippines Environmental Management Improved
Europe and Eurasia Region
- Bulgaria Biodiversity Conservation & Economic Growth Project
- Croatia Citizen Participation and Improved Governance
- Russia Forest Resources and Technologies and Replication of Lessons
Learned Projects
Latin America and the Caribbean Region
- Caribbean Regional Program for Improved Environmental Management by
Public and Private Entities
- Central American Regional Environmental Program (PROARCA)
- Conservation of Region's Biological Resources - Parks
in Peril Program
- LAC Strategy and Planning Office Alliance Activities – focus
on certified forestry in Mexico
- Bolivia Forest , Water, and Biodiversity Resource Management
- Brazil Environmentally Sustainable Land Use Program
- Dominican Republic Environmental Policy Formulation
- Ecuador Biodiversity Conservation in PAs and their Buffer Zones
- Ecuador Biodiversity Conservation in Galapagos Marine Reserve
- Guatemala Improved NRM and Conservation of Biodiversity Program
- Honduras improved Management of Watersheds, Forests, and PAs
- Jamaica Improved Quality of Key Natural Resources
- Mexico Critical Ecosystems & Biological Resources Conserved
- Nicaragua Natural Resources Management Program
- Panama Sustainable Management of the Canal Watershed and Buffer Areas
- Paraguay Sustainable Management of Globally Important Ecoregions
- Peru Improved Environmental Management in Targeted Sectors
Agriculture Program- USAID
works with farmers and their organizations, scientists, agribusiness, universities,
and local communities to manage natural resources for sustainable production.
Forestry
Program – The program supports efforts to improve the
management of forests as a means to promote sustainable social and economic
development.
- Initiative
Against Illegal Logging - The objective of the initiative is
assisting developing countries in their efforts to combat illegal logging,
including the sale and export of illegally harvested timber, and in fighting
corruption in the forest sector. The initiative focuses on three critical
regions -- the Congo Basin , the Amazon Basin and Central America and
South and Southeast Asia .
- Sustainable
Forest Products Global Alliance - Initiated by Metafore, World
Wildlife Fund (WWF) and USAID, the alliance works to encourage responsible
forest management and reduce trade in illegal forest products by strengthening
market links between producers of responsible forest products in the
developing world and consumers in the developed world.
Water
Program - USAID has made the preservation and environmentally
sound development of the world’s water resources a top priority.
The Agency’s investments have helped improve access to safe and
adequate water supply and sanitation, improve irrigation technology,
enhance natural environments, and develop better institutional capacity
for water resources management in countries around the world.
- Meso-American Coral
Reef Alliance – USAID works with
several foundations and other partners to promote economically and
environmentally sound management of the Meso-American coral reef.
- Coastal Resources Management Project II – focuses upon
conserving critical marine habitats.
Geographic
Information for Sustainable Development - A U.S. led "public-private" international
alliance, aims to apply a new generation of earth observation data, state-of-the-art
geographic information systems-linked technologies, and field-tested
geographic knowledge, to address sustainable development problems such
as disaster mitigation, natural resource management, trade competitiveness,
and poverty reduction.
Source: “Biodiversity Conservation:
A Report on USAID’s Biodiversity Programs in Fiscal Year 2002” Washington,
DC: US Agency for International Development, August 2003. Accessed
Online at: http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/environment/biodiversity/pubs/biodiversity_rpt_2003.pdf
