Report to Congress on Biodiversity-Conservation and Forestry Programs during Fiscal Year 2017: Results and Funding

Agency for International Development (USAID) implemented biodiversity-conservation and forestry programs in 57 countries during Fiscal Year 2017. These programs aimed to conserve tropical forests, maintain or increase carbon stocks, and achieve sustainable management of forest resources. USAID's efforts were guided by Section 118 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, which emphasizes the importance of tropical forest conservation and sustainable management. In Africa, USAID worked to improve the management of fisheries, a critical step in conserving ecosystems and ensuring the food security and livelihoods of people who depend on wild fisheries. In seven West African countries, USAID helped partners harmonize legislation addressing fisheries, a key step in regulating access to fisheries and reducing illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. For example, following a fishing season closed to foreign fishing trawlers, local fishers in Ghana reported a higher fish catch. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic, USAID-funded activities conserved wildlife, advanced the rule of law, and promoted self-reliance among local people in and around 17 protected areas in nine priority landscapes. Activities included recruiting, training, equipping, and logistically supporting park rangers and community patrols. In FY 2017, rangers patrolled 33 percent more mileage than in the prior year, covered more than 225,000 kilometers, destroyed 1,042 illegal hunting camps, and removed nearly 14,000 snares and traps. In the Republic of Mozambique and South Africa, USAID reduced threats to 1.2 million hectares of globally significant ecosystems and wildlife across three river basins throughout the Southern Africa region. Through an integrated strategy on transboundary river basins, the project developed comprehensive biodiversity-sector plans and maps for the Olifants catchment, which supports the livelihoods of more than three million people. In Asia, USAID-trained community groups in the Kingdom of Cambodia managed fisheries and designated more than 5,000 hectares as conservation areas. In FY 2017, USAID funded an effort to build community fish-refuge ponds that provide sanctuaries for breeding fish. Monitoring of biodiversity shows that community fish refuges established four years ago now yield more than 10 percent more fish. To reduce consumer demand for wildlife parts and products in the People's Republic of China, USAID organized a meeting of more than 70 representatives from Chinese and international non-governmental organizations, the private sector, the media, educational institutions, and donor agencies. Experts shared innovative and international approaches to reducing demand for wildlife products. USAID's funding for tropical-forestry and biodiversity conservation around the world supports natural systems and the people who depend on them. During FY 2017, USAID's targeted investments in areas with high levels of biodiversity promoted healthy, thriving communities on their journey to self-reliance, and achieved significant results in Africa, Asia, and other regions.