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Unleashed: Reimagining Global Conservation After the USAID Shutdown

April 23, 2026 · 34 min

Show notes

What do malaria rates, indigenous forests in Peru, and elephant tusk trafficking have in common? They’re all part of what USAID’s conservation work actually looked like. And what we’ve lost. Cynthia Gill spent 32 years building USAID’s conservation programming. Weeks watching it dismantled. And then the question: now what?

The former Director for USAID's Center for Natural Environment joins Leah to talk about the shutdown, what was lost, and why she's just getting started through the Reimagining Global Conservation Initiative, a bipartisan playbook that reimagines how the US government contributes to global conservation, strengthening international stability and security while honoring nature as an American core value.

To learn more about the Reimagining Global Conservation Initiative and join the coalition, visit their website and add your name to the mailing list. If you’d like to support the work, you can contribute here.

To see a summary of the conservation and development legacy of USAID, see the Guardian’s coverage or read more deeply on Biographic.

To reach Cynthia directly, email her at [email protected].

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