What Stake Does the U.S. Government Have in Global Conservation?

Will Gartshore spends most of his time in Washington, DC, talking with Members of Congress and their staff to inform them about WWF’s priority conservation issues and to encourage them to support policies and funding decisions that benefit nature and wildlife around the globe. But why should international conservation concerns matter to the U.S. government? Turns out there is much at stake, including public health, and Will discusses why a global effort to conserve nature is crucial in the age of COVID-19. Like previous emerging diseases, the new coronavirus spilled over from wildlife to humans—and the U.S. government can help prevent more such zoonotic transmissions in the future, using its influence to help shut down high-risk wildlife markets and wildlife consumption, and halting habitat destruction that removes a buffer between wild animals and humans. Learn about the important role the U.S. government has played in supporting international conservation investments in the developing world, the kinds of programs and funding it provides, and why support for these programs and the global conservation of nature is more essential now than ever.


Originally presented July 22, 2020