Stories

A farmer from Madagascar smiles, with a forested area in the background

STORY, JULY 26, 2024 – This World Chocolate Day learn about how USAID’s HEARTH activities connect local cacao farmers to international corporations.

A red boat floats through a mangrove in the Philippines

STORY, JUNE 7, 2024 – USAID works with local governments and communities in Masinloc to improve natural resource governance, conserve marine biodiversity, and combat nature crimes—preserving the Philippines’ rich marine resources while improving the livelihoods of communities who depend on them.

Bean sorter. Photo by Salohy Soloarivelo.

STORYMAP, JULY 12, 2023 – The HEARTH initiative invests across development sectors in biodiverse landscapes around the world to achieve benefits not just for people, but for all species and ecosystems. Learn about the 17 HEARTH activities currently operating in 12 countries.

The results of the 2023 Biodiversity Photo Contest are in! Congratulations to our 10 Winners.

Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) drinking nectar from zinnia flower.

During World Pollinator Week, we are celebrating the important role that pollinators play in contributing to USAID’s development goals, policies, and objectives, and how USAID programs support the cultivation of healthy environments in which pollinators can thrive. From sustaining natural ecosystems to providing nourishing food to income-generating opportunities, these small but mighty critters are not only vital to the integrity of our global food systems, but also make valuable contributions to our global economy.

Wild meat for sale is displayed hanging from a truck.

The COVID crisis and its impacts on people and wildlife prompted USAID’s Wildlife TRAPS partnership to craft One Health solutions to help us all.

Pangolins (pictured is a black-bellied pangolin, native to Central and West Africa) are one of the most trafficked mammals in the world, valued for its meat and scales. Illegal trade in wildlife threatens local and global security as well as the essential services nature provides. USAID helps partner countries fight wildlife trafficking for a safer and healthier world.

The illegal wildlife trade is not just a threat to animals and communities dependent on wildlife-friendly livelihoods—it is a threat to the air transport sector. Learn how USAID’s ROUTES Partnership helped equip actors in the air transport sector with the tools, resources, and partnerships to recognize and stop wildlife trafficking.

In 2014, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—in partnership with the National Geographic Society, the Smithsonian Institution, and TRAFFIC—launched the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge to reward science and technology innovations combating wildlife trafficking.

Gorilla trekking tours in Uganda help to fund other community initiatives, such as roads, schools, and healthcare.

The sustainable use of nature’s resources is essential to long-term economic growth in USAID’s partner countries: At

PREDICT and Breakthrough Action collaborated with local partners to raise community awareness about ways to reduce disease risks associated with human-to-bat contact.

Connecting Human and Forest Health in West Africa

The Seafood Alliance for Legality and Traceability (SALT) brings toge

In USAID’s partner countries, it is often the most vulnerable people and communities that rely most on the environment for food, livelihoods, and security. But they also typically have the least representation in high-level decisions about their lands, waters, wildlife, and other natural resources. This series of stories highlights USAID’s efforts to promote environmental equality. Read the first installment: Addressing Gender-Based Violence.

Through USAID’s Africa RISING program, farmers in Malawi, like Mercy Joseph (pictured), learn agroforestry practices to improve food security while increasing soil fertility, tree canopy, and wildlife habitat.

USAID and the international community are working together diligently—in a time of global climate change, pandemic, and biodiversity loss—to ensure the well-being of people, animals, and the environment on which we all depend.

Gorillas are one of the many animals whose populations and habitats are better managed and protected through USAID’s work in Central Africa.

On World Wildlife Day (WWD), March 3, 2021, USAID celebrated forests and the wildlife and people that depend on them. The WWD theme for 2021 was “Forests and livelihoods: sustaining people and planet,” honoring the livelihoods of communities who rely on forests and the value of forests for all life worldwide.

Elephants in the KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area

BiodiversityLinks is the new knowledge sharing portal launched by the Biodiversity Division in the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation’s (DDI) Center for Environment, Energy, and Infrastructure (EEI). This new knowledge portal for biodiversity conservation and development features key USAID tools and resources as well as new pages for evidence and learning.

Recent Stories

How Chocolate Stimulates Taste Buds, Forests, and Communities

Conserving Marine Resources for Future Generations

Transformative Partnerships for People and the Planet: USAID's Health, Ecosystems, and Agriculture for Resilient, Thriving Societies

Biodiversity Photo Contest 2023 Winners

Pollinators: A Key Piece of the Development Puzzle

Uncovering What Works to Reduce the Pandemic Risk of Wildlife Trade

Four Ways the USAID ROUTES Partnership Helped the Air Transport Industry Recognize and Stop Wildlife Crime

Fighting Wildlife Crime with Tech

Five Innovative Findings from USAID’s Investments in Conservation Enterprises

Connecting Human and Forest Health in West Africa

From Bait to Plate: The Power of Electronic Catch Documentation and Traceability

Enhancing Environmental Equality: Promoting the Rights of Indigenous People

One Health: Connecting the Dots Between Human Health and the Environment

Celebrating World Wildlife Day around the Globe

New Knowledge Portal for Biodiversity and Development

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