- The abrupt end of USAID funding has disrupted conservation progress in Ethiopia’s Tama Community Conservation Area (TCCA), where community-led efforts had curbed illegal hunting and led to an increase in elephant and giraffe populations.
- In response, local leaders and communities are working to become financially self-sufficient by establishing income-generating initiatives.
- But progress is hindered by the lack of a functioning office, expert staff, and basic operational resources.
- While experts recognize the area’s strong potential for ecotourism and community benefit, they warn that poverty, conflict and climate challenges, combined with weak infrastructure, make external technical and financial support critical for a successful transition to self-reliance.
ADDIS ABABA — Local leaders at Ethiopia’s largest community conservation area are working to become financially self-sufficient and continue protecting land and wildlife independently, following the abrupt cut of funding from USAID earlier this year.
The Tama Community Conservation Area (TCCA), started in 2022 with $8.5 million from the USAID’s BIOM project, had made progress in environmental stewardship. It helped cut down illegal hunting and deforestation, according to the project office, while supporting local people to lead efforts to protect nature across 197,000 hectares (487,000 acres). The project also created jobs and gave several Indigenous communities in the region the legal right to manage their ancestral lands. As a result, wildlife populations of elephants and giraffes have increased, say conservationists.
However, the sudden funding cut this January sparked pessimism among community members, many of whom returned to illegal hunting and deforestation, while fueling land-grab rumors that have left many fearful for their land rights.
With external support dwindling, the project office, the TCCA council and community leaders are now working to establish independent offices and develop plans that will sustain conservation efforts while also benefiting the local community.
Cool Ground, a nonprofit supporting the Indigenous community, has stepped in following the termination of the BIOM project with its own local funds to help manage the conservation effort and keep the project running until September.
Barkede Kulumedere, a project manager at Cool Ground, said the sudden funding gap risked reversing years of progress and undermining the sustainability of conservation efforts. The period between January and September is crucial for the future of the TCCA, he said.
“As we witnessed increasing threats to natural resources and a rise in illegal activities, we knew we had to act quickly. We sought emergency funding to maintain critical operations,” Barkede told Mongabay. The project office has recalled half of its staff and 20 scouts to resume essential conservation work after suspending them in February.
“Cool Ground’s key role now is to help the community become financially self-sufficient. We are actively exploring all options to sustain the project and have engaged deeply with the community to ensure that conservation efforts continue long-term under the Tama initiative,” Barkede said.
He’s now working with local communities to set up a governing body, which TCCA didn’t have before. It will be made up of councils representing each kebele, Ethiopia’s smallest administrative unit, equivalent to a neighborhood. The body will serve as the main decision-making authority, with every area and kebele having an elected representative chosen by community members to make essential decisions.
“Once the office is established, they will be able to access support from various sources, including government and nongovernment organizations, as they develop structured institutions,” Barkede said. “The community can also generate income through different streams such as ecotourism, game hunting, trophy hunting, and other sustainable ventures.”
Alawara Kolbala, a member of the community, said that by establishing their own office, the community can better manage natural resources and deliver greater benefits to both people and the environment. “We have already set up our office and strengthened the system,” he said. “With the income we generate, we can build clinics, schools and water facilities that serve the entire community.”
What’s needed is technical support to make the office strong in terms of resources, vehicles and other knowledge on how to run it, he added.
A transition to communities as the foundation
Meseret Admasu, former chief warden of nearby Mago National Park, who worked for the BIOM project, said the community has great interest in the TCCA, with the question of establishing the community conservation area raised more than a decade ago.
For Admasu, one of the greatest successes of the TCCA was the formation of a council composed of representatives from each community. This council serves as a key decision-making body, guiding all operations in Tama based on the established bylaws, which govern both conservation and income-generating activities, and through discussions rooted in the community’s interests.
“But as a legislative body, it can’t implement its decisions without an operational office. Once in place, it can begin executing strategies that not only address the current financial issues but also generate sustainable income,” she said.
Firehiwot, former culture and tourism head of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region’s (SNNPR) and a key partner in the establishment of the conservation area, said the communities’ Indigenous knowledge offers a strong foundation for self-sufficient land management. This includes opportunities to incorporate the communities’ intangible cultural heritage in tourism and products to generate income.
“If a well-established office is supported with the right technical expertise, the community can effectively manage the area on its own,” Firehiwot said, adding that any future support should prioritize strengthening local institutions rather than offering short-term fixes.
“Empowering the community to lead ensures lasting impact,” she said.
The TCCA was initially envisioned as a self-governing entity. According to Woynitu Melku, head of the regional culture and tourism bureau, external support such as that from USAID was only ever meant to provide a temporary boost to help the conservation area eventually attain self-sufficiency.
But according to Admasu, the idea of a self-sustaining conservation area has stalled, caught between big ambitions and the lack of even basic operational funding in the future.
“Projects like USAID’s were designed to build capacity for long-term self-reliance,” she said. “But the abrupt termination left the initiative in limbo, unable to fully achieve its goals.”
She added the regional government is now actively seeking ways to support the transition.
“We are exploring all possible options, speaking with development partners and federal offices, to help establish a permanent, independent office. In the coming year, we plan to consider TCCA in our budget and offer support to help it move toward self-sufficiency.”
According to sources, the regional office is also planning to support the community by constructing an office for the TCCA and has agreed, in principle, to provide a basic salary for the office workers from its capital budget, at least until the TCCA begins generating its own income.
A bumpy road ahead?
While there’s broad support for community-led conservation, some experts warn that the road ahead will be challenging. The Tama area in particular faces entrenched issues like poverty, food insecurity, violent conflict, climate change impacts, and limited access to education, all of which could hamper progress.
Still, conservationists say the region holds enormous potential. It’s rich in biodiversity and has untapped opportunities for cultural and ecotourism initiatives. The local community also possesses deep Indigenous knowledge and sustainable practices that could protect the environment while supporting livelihoods.
Lakew Birhanu, a conservation biologist involved in establishing the community conservation area, acknowledged the ambition but urged pragmatism. Without immediate and substantial support from both the government and development partners, he said, the path to self-sufficiency will not be easy. While he said he supports the idea of local ownership and sustainability, especially at a time when donor funds are increasingly unreliable, international assistance remains essential.
“In a country with limited conservation funding and weak local infrastructure, donor support is not just desirable, it’s critical,” Birhanu said. “But that support must focus on building local capacity, providing technical assistance, and laying the groundwork for income generation. Only then can these communities manage conservation efforts through their own leadership and knowledge.”
Banner image: Farmers in the Lower Omo Valley, near the Tama Community Conservation Area. Image courtesy of the Ethiopian Sugar Industry Group.
USAID cut curbs hopes at Ethiopia’s largest community conservation area
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