A major chimpanzee conservation initiative in Tanzania supported by renowned primatologist Jane Goodall has reportedly lost nearly $30m (£22m) in US government funding.
The five-year “Hope Through Action” project, launched in November 2023 by the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), aimed to protect endangered chimpanzees and restore their habitats through reforestation and community-led conservation.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded the institute $29.5m for the project, but is now pulling out following US president Donald Trump’s decision to cut most of the country’s foreign-aid funding.
The institute confirmed to The Independent that USAID’s withdrawal came just 18 months into a planned four-year performance period for Hope Through Action (HTA).
“Overall, HTA was a continuation of a 20-year partnership with USAID to promote local governance and conservation of natural resources in Western Tanzania,” Diana Leizinger, director of JGI Austria, told The Independent.
“The total amount awarded in 2024 to JGI to implement HTA was $29.4m. Programme expenses up to the termination of the award in March 2025 were $4.6m. The termination resulted in an immediate 2025 reduction in funding of $5.5m,” Ms Leizinger said.
JGI warned that USAID’s withdrawal could have wider ecological consequences.
“JGI’s work in the region and the country have been fundamental to supporting generations of chimpanzees over the last 65 years of work in Tanzania, including the estimated 2,000 chimpanzees that live there today,” Ms Leizinger said.
“This critical capacity has led to the designation of 700,000 hectares (1.75 million acres) as district and village forest reserves, and a 50 per cent reduction in deforestation rates in the target landscape when compared to a control area.
“It has been a key factor in restoring forests, watersheds, and stabilising and protecting populations of wildlife such as chimpanzees, elephants, buffalos, and lions.
“JGI is committed to moving forward in Tanzania with our partners, particularly at the community level, while seeking diverse sources of funding. The work in the Gombe region and Western Tanzania is too important to neglect.”
Chimpanzees have become extinct in three African countries, and their population in the wild is 300,000, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Ms Goodall, who has championed chimpanzee protection for over six decades, has criticised Mr Trump’s environmental policies in the past. Her conservation model emphasises collaboration between local communities and ecosystems, aiming to reduce conflict and promote sustainable development.
Mr Trump cut USAID funds in January, saying that the organisation, which provides humanitarian aid abroad, is “not aligned with American interests”. The Trump administration is also poised to ask Congress to approve an $8.3bn cut in foreign aid efforts, which range from climate work to LGBT+ programmes, The Independent previously reported.
The decision has derailed the projected end of the Aids pandemic and means the number of Aids-related deaths could jump from 6 million to 10 million in the next five years unless aid is reinstated. Data projections indicate that there will be 3.4 million more orphans who have lost at least one parent to Aids, and 600,000 more newborns could contract HIV by 2030.
USAID funding was crucial for climate and environmental efforts around the world. Though the US only spent 1 per cent of its federal budget on foreign aid, it funded a quarter of all global support, data shows.
This story has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid series
