Critical USAID Environmental Funding Dries Up in SEA

NGOs turn to ‘e-begging’ for critically important work

By: Gregory McCann

The freeze on all foreign aid that the US government announced, with the exception of Israel and Egypt, has been felt swiftly, shockingly and painfully in the conservation world in Southeast Asia. Vital workers keeping illegal loggers and wildlife poachers at bay – and frontline park rangers’ salaries paid – were given no notice that their funding was now under review.

The outcry was swift, with Freeland founder Steve Galster immediately posting an “Emergency Appeal” on his Bangkok-based NGO’s website and in social media. “On 25th January 2025, the US government suddenly froze all foreign aid, including our wildlife protection programs,” Galster wrote. “Poachers and traffickers will not freeze their operations. Can you help us keep our frontline teams going for 90 days until the freeze is lifted? We are in the middle of training and equipping rangers and forming task forces to stop poaching and illegal trade of endangered species, like tigers, jaguars, exotic birds, and rhinos, and helping impoverished communities and local schools located next to national parks.”

There is no guarantee that the freeze will be lifted, and in fact, given the administration in Washington, there is little likelihood that it will be…