Opinion | USAID cut could have a silver lining for Southeast Asian ecosystems

While reduced aid harms conservation efforts, the region’s stakeholders have a chance to consider more effective self-sufficient approaches

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A Bornean orangutan carries her child at a rehabilitation centre in Sepilok, Malaysia, on August 17, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:30am, 12 Mar 2025

The US cutback in foreign aid delivers a devastating blow to nature conservation in Southeast Asia, one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. For decades, US funding has played a crucial role in safeguarding endangered species, curbing wildlife trafficking and preserving fragile ecosystems.

The sudden withdrawal of aid raises a pressing question: can conservation efforts survive without international funding, or is this a wake-up call for a new, more self-sufficient approach?

According to the US embassy in Indonesia, since 2001, USAID has invested over US$50 million to protect the country’s orangutans through corridor management, surveys, habitat preservation and restoration and mobilising private-sector investment.

The United States Agency for International Development has supported training and data collection programmes in Cambodia to measure carbon stocks in mangroves and flooded forests since 2013, as well as community-based management of natural fisheries.

Vietnam’s battle against wildlife trafficking has relied on USAID’s funding. Through the agency, the US has spent US$27.8 million on strengthening law enforcement and international cooperation. Recently, USAID projects worth more than US$2 million were launched in September 2024 to strengthen wildlife protection efforts.

For more than two decades, USAID partnered with the Philippine government and other stakeholders, investing more than US$88 million to address unsustainable fishing practices and protect vital marine ecosystems, according to the US embassy in Manila.