The U.S. Foundation for International Conservation Act Would Protect Wildlife, Lands and Waters

This legislation would incentivize private and philanthropic funding to match U.S. government funds for sustainable, long-term conservation. 

Solving the biodiversity and climate crisis will require coordination across governments, private sector entities, local communities, Indigenous Peoples and other stakeholders.

The U.S. Foundation for International Conservation Act would incentivize philanthropic and private giving to match government funds by investing new and additional resources that would complement traditional U.S. foreign assistance to biodiversity conservation. Combined, this would provide consistent funding for protected areas globally and ensure the long-term protection of these critical landscapes and habitats. 

Why is this funding needed right now? Governments around the world have funded conservation for decades, but the current funding is no longer adequate to meet the growing challenges we face.

This bill would help close the conservation funding gap. According to recent research, the world needs to spend between $598 and $824 billion more each year to halt species extinctions and restore natural areas. While USFICA can’t close this gap on its own, it can inspire other efforts at the global level.

And it already is. On average, every dollar that the government invests in international conservation results in a $4 contribution from the private sector. So, USFICA is expected to inspire hundreds of millions of additional dollars for this work from corporations and philanthropic entities, many of which have already pledged their support.

This legislation would have a lasting, on-the-ground impact on Indigenous communities and our most threatened landscapes.

Indigenous and local communities are often highly effective stewards of their land. In most parts of the tropics, for example, indigenous-managed forests have lower rates of deforestation than state-managed protected areas. The U.S. Foundation for International Conservation Act would provide up to $100 million each year in federal funds for community-led international conservation work like that being done in Mongolia. 

Mongolia’s grasslands are one of the planet’s most threatened ecosystems. Covering an area three times the size of California, they provide a rare refuge for native wildlife, such as snow leopards, argali sheep, gazelles and saiga—a critically endangered antelope. These grasslands also represent the world’s ninth largest peatlands, a major source for the capture, removal and storage of carbon.

Over 200,000 nomadic families rely on these grasslands for their livelihoods. With only a fraction currently protected, Mongolia has committed to conserving 30% of the country’s landscapes by 2030.

Project funding afforded through public-private partnerships established through the U.S. Foundation for International Conservation Act could create new protections for 9% of Mongolia’s lands and grasslands equivalent to 34.6 million acres. Investments and funding would also help improve the management of 105.2 million acres of new and existing protected areas across the country.

This bill would invest in conservation to support U.S. national security and regional stability around the world.

Evidence has shown, time and again, that political stability depends on the stability of the natural world. The loss of nature creates vacuums for crime, violence and war. Examples can be found around the world from armed conflicts in Syria and Somalia which intensified because of severe droughts to extreme weather events which displace an average of 21.5 million people each year. 

By safeguarding threatened natural habitats and the biodiversity they support, USFICA would improve national security in the U.S. and promote regional stability worldwide. 

Conservation also stimulates economic growth by providing jobs, skills training and local revenue. By supporting and enlisting the help of local and Indigenous communities, we can better implement on-the-ground conservation and restoration work and improve the quality of life for those who live and work around important protected areas.