ADDIS ABABA — Alawara Kolbala, 39, from the Mursi tribe, said he remembers the sense of pride and hope his community felt when they officially gained legal right to manage their land in the Tama Community Conservation Area (TCCA).

“I was so happy when the land was finally recognized as ours,” he said. “We were filled with hope — hope to protect the plants and animals as our ancestors taught us, and to create a way to earn from the land.”

This sense of hope is shared by thousands, said TCCA project organizers. The creation of the TCCA in southwestern Ethiopia’s Lower Omo River Valley two years ago marked a major milestone for the Indigenous Mursi, Bodi, Northern Kwegu and Ari communities. It introduced a structured, community-led system to manage wildlife and natural resources.

Using governance rules agreed upon by the community, conservationists said the area was able to hull illegal hunting of animals, deforestation and use of the land for farming and grazing.

“We’re seeing progress every day — illegal hunting is down, wildlife is returning, and deforestation is slowing,” said Alawara, also a scout in the conservation area.

But that momentum is now at risk.

Abrupt foreign aid funding cuts by the U.S. Trump administration have dealt a major setback to the once-promising conservation initiative, threatening both biodiversity and hard-won progress.

Shortly after its launch, the TCCA received $8.5 million from USAID’s Biodiversity and Community Resilience in the Omo Valley (BIOM) project — funding that many environmentalists say is crucial to supporting community-led conservation efforts.

“We were shocked when we heard that the project was over as we saw promising things and there was increasing hope among the locals to work more for the benefit of the biodiversity and for the community,” said Berkede Kukmeder, project coordinator at Cool Ground, a nonprofit which works on the establishment of the TCCA.

According to him, on Jan. 22, they received a letter from USAID stating that, effective Jan. 24, they could no longer use any USAID funds for the project.

“We immediately put our activities on hold and suspended our scouts’ operations,” he told Mongabay.

Following this, he said, various entities with prior interest in acquiring the land for agricultural plantation purposes seized the opportunity to spread false rumors that the project had come to an end to advance their own interests to start a plantation on the land.

“Rumors were spread among the community [that] TCCA is over,” said Berkede.

As a result, he said, some community members lost hope in the future of the project, leading to many returning to illegal hunting and unsustainable use of natural resources. This situation is now threatening the progress made in conservation.

“There’s been a noticeable rise in damage to natural resources, and the community feels the project has failed and is losing hope,” Berkede said. “In the past month, illegal hunting has surged as people revert to old practices, but in a far more destructive manner.”

The conservation area spans 197,000 hectares (486,000 acres) of critical corridor land between two national parks in Ethiopia. This vast landscape plays a key role in connecting habitats and supporting ecological continuity.

It is home to a rich variety of wildlife, including reticulated giraffes (Giraffa reticulata), African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana) and lions (Panthera leo), as well as De Brazza’s monkeys (Cercopithecus neglectus), Lelwel hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus lelwel) and the endemic black-winged lovebird (Agapornis taranta).

“Wildlife numbers are incredible, and although the species inventory is still ongoing, early findings already show vast biodiversity potential. The area has a remarkable capacity to support diverse ecosystems and contribute to sustainable livelihoods,” said Lakew Birhanu, a conservation biologist who was among the experts involved in establishing the community conservation area.

Since the establishment of TCCA, he said, they have witnessed a remarkable growth in biodiversity, with wild animals appearing in large numbers soon after the area’s establishment.
“Giraffes and elephants have returned to the area, where they hadn’t been seen for a long time,” he said.

For Lakew, the termination of the fund came at a time when the work was showing real promise and creating the right conditions for effective conservation and biodiversity protection,” he said.
“We were all shocked.”

The five-year project — which is implemented by partners International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), the University of Leeds (U.K.), Cool Ground and the Ethiopian Institute of Peace (EIP) — was aiming to enhance biodiversity, livelihoods and human rights through community-based conservation, ecotourism, livestock production and peacebuilding advocacy and training.

The funding opportunity came at the right time and was supporting the initiative in various activities that include conservation efforts and community empowerment, according to Berkede of Cool Ground, which has been advocating on behalf of the Omo Valley’s Indigenous communities.

The project has also worked to shift long-standing practices by raising awareness about the value of wildlife beyond hunting and bushmeat consumption. Through continuous dialogue and education, Berkede said, communities now increasingly understand that protecting biodiversity can offer lasting benefits, both for the ecosystem and for their own wellbeing.

“One of the greatest achievements has been the surge in local awareness about conservation and its long-term benefits,” said Berkede.

Beyond the protection of biodiversity on sustainable use of the resource, some initiatives were also implemented on boosting the livelihood of local communities through different activities.

“One key achievement has been creating local jobs — many for former hunters — by employing community members, including 40 as scouts, as well as in minor office roles and through income generated from tourism services,” he told Mongabay. One tourist lodge was opened by a private investment partnership, he added.

Now, those jobs are gone, and workers have been laid off.

The project introduced income-boosting programs like agricultural and livestock training, improved market access, and opened up alternative livelihoods such as beekeeping and dairy farming. It also launched adult literacy classes to empower communities and strengthen long-term land management.

The funding was a valuable opportunity for supporting the conservation area, said Firehiwot, former head of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region’s (SNNPR) Culture and Tourism Bureau and a key partner in the establishment of the TCCA.

However, she criticized the USAID BIOM project for its “misplaced priorities.” “Significant funds were spent on short-term events and recreational activities, while essential services that directly benefit the community were overlooked,” she said.

“Initially, the project struggled to identify activities that were truly critical for the community,” she said. “I was hoping it would address core needs and strengthen the TCCA office to stand on its own, but not much was achieved in that regard.”

This has raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of the TCCA, as many fear: Without sufficient funding, an organized office and technical expertise, the future of the conservation area is uncertain.

Despite the funding crisis, Cool Ground has stepped in to help manage the conservation project after USAID funding ended. Using their own local funds, they’ve kept the project running for an additional eight months — until September. During this time, the focus is on helping TCCA become financially self-sufficient.

“Now, continuing that progress will be more difficult,” Alawara told Mongabay. “We still need external support just to establish the office and strengthen systems.”

The South Ethiopia Regional State government has said that it will continue working with the community to find funding and provide technical support until they are fully established and self-sufficient.

“We will ensure that the community’s legal rights to the land are upheld, and we will continue to assist them in managing it in a way that benefits both the environment and the community,” said Woynitu Melku, head of the regional government’s Culture Tourism Bureau.

The U.S. Department of State, which oversees USAID, did not respond to Mongabay’s questions by the time of publication.

Banner image: The Tama Community Conservation Area is home to a rich variety of wildlife, including reticulated giraffes (Giraffa reticulata). Image by Loren Cassin Sackett via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

Wildlife crime crackdown in jeopardy worldwide after US funding cuts