In June 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a significant $500 million investment in wildlife conservation over the next 5 years. Half of the funds will come from the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), with the other half coming from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Efforts will be coordinated through the USDA’s Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW), and will incorporate existing conservation programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
This investment will help carry out the WLFW Frameworks for Conservation Action, which seek out a common vision and goals for ecosystems under the myriad of USDA programs and initiatives. The USDA plans to develop four new frameworks by 2025, with themes that focus on Western Migratory Big Game, Eastern Deciduous Forest, Eastern Aquatic Connectivity, and Southeastern Pine Ecosystems.
The investment aims to leverage both scientific advancements and voluntary, locally-led efforts to conserve wildlife. Existing programs that assist farmers, ranchers, private forest owners, and tribes will be expanded and better integrated. The new funding will also allow the USDA to greatly increase its science and support staff to carry out these programs.
This latest announcement continues a series of historic investments and partnerships by the federal government that focus on wildlife conservation. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 authorized $350 million through the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. Partnerships with state agencies have also increased; for example, in 2022, the USDA and Wyoming announced a first of its kind partnership to conserve big game migration corridors on private lands by leveraging funding funding through the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, and the Agricultural Conservation Easements Program.
Please note: This digest is intended to provide up-to-date information on policy development from a neutral, unaffiliated position as it relates to connectivity and corridor science and management.
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