Global Conservation Executive Director Applauds Senate Passage of U.S. Foundation for International Conservation Act
San Francisco, California - December 18, 2024 - Today, the U.S. Senate passed the U.S. Foundation for International Conservation Act as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. If signed into law, this bipartisan legislation will establish a groundbreaking public-private partnership to support global conservation of endangered forests and species, authorizing up to $100 million a year in federal funding, matched 2:1 by private donors, with the potential to generate billions of dollars for global conservation over the next ten years.
Jeff Morgan (right) and ABC Newshost Bob Woodruff (left) at a Global Conservation Event to raise funds for the Global Park Defense program, which is deployed for both land and water.
The Executive Director of Global Conservation, Jeff Morgan, released the following statement:
“We applaud the leadership of Senator Coons and Senator Graham to secure the passage of this innovative bill through Congress. Prioritizing national park and wildlife protection in developing countries, which have limited resources compared to the United States, is a significant step towards reversing our war on nature during a period of challenging financial decisions in our federal government.
“Developing countries like Cameroon, Ecuador, or Cambodia need us more than ever. Our world-class national park system is a model for sustainable development and nature conservation for all countries, and we need to share our expertise, methodologies, technologies, and ethos, as well as financial resources. In most cases, national parks can quickly become positive economic engines through tourism and carbon sequestration, generating millions of dollars for developing countries.”
Above: Yasuni National Park, which contains scarlet macaws, hoatzins, and a dedicated area for visitors.
“Examples where Global Conservation works include Yasuni National Park in Ecuador, Derawan Marine Park in Indonesia, and Kidepo Valley National Park in Uganda, all endangered but with high potential for tourism and sustainable development. Stellar examples of success in national parks in developing countries include Galapagos, Ecuador ($420 million a year in revenues); Tikal, Guatemala ($280 million a year); and Tayrona, Colombia ($80 million with over 600,000 visitors a year).”
“Leveraging the United States experience with successful protection of intact forests and ecosystems and a large pool of national park and law enforcement alumni, combined with financial resources of the U.S. Foundation for International Conservation, provides an innovative model for helping all countries of the world achieve real park and wildlife protection in the face of increasing pressures—illegal logging, mining, cattle ranching, wildlife poaching, and land clearing of our last intact tropical forests and wildlife habitats.”
“We have been supporters of this bill in Congress, meeting and assisting the efforts of Senator Coon’s and Senator Graham’s staff to ensure the design and implementation of the U.S. Foundation for International Conservation is the most effective and avoids the legacy bureaucracy of previous foreign assistance by the U.S. Government, directly funding endangered national parks and indigenous territories to achieve true protection, besides other key initiators of this bill like the International Conservation Caucus Foundation.”
About Global Conservation: Global Conservation is the only international NGO focused exclusively on the protection of endangered national parks and indigenous territories in developing countries. In its tenth year, Global Conservation has over thirty (30) GC Projects in twenty-two (22) countries, providing hundreds of grants each year directly to protecting endangered national parks and indigenous territories—focused on ‘The Last 10%’ of the Earth’s intact forests and wildlife habitats, critical to achieving the UN Goal of ‘30x30.’
About the U.S. Foundation for International Conservation Act: This innovative bill requires the Department of State to establish the U.S. Foundation for International Conservation as a tax-exempt organization to promote international conservation efforts, including by providing grants for eligible projects. The foundation shall fund projects that support effective area-based conservation measures and the long-term management of protected or conserved areas and their contiguous buffer zones. Such areas include terrestrial, coastal, and marine-protected or conserved parks, conservancies, and reserves. Projects must be cost-matched from sources other than the U.S. government.
