Improved management of natural resources and important ecosystem services not only supports economic growth and strengthens resilience to climate change but also can provide the foundation for sustainable development.
Across the developing world, population growth and surging demand for agricultural land has put tremendous pressure on natural resources as people strive to meet their daily needs for food, shelter, and energy. Many governments face increasing pressure from communities and local and international businesses to exploit natural resources in the quest for economic growth. But DAI’s experience has shown that growth and conservation are not mutually exclusive—in fact, linking the two can have significant, mutually reinforcing benefits.
Promoting broad participation, advocacy, and accountability as the pathway to better-managed natural resources, our specialists partner with local governments and communities to develop and implement the enabling policy and legislative frameworks required to devolve management authority and resource-use rights of the forest, fisheries, and wildlife sectors. Combining local knowledge and the findings of environmental impact assessments, we help to raise awareness of land-use activities that compromise the ecosystem and biodiversity. Building on this heightened environmental awareness among stakeholders, we employ training and incentives to redirect development into sustainable channels.
In parallel, we work with national governments, communities, and conservation organizations to improve the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation at a landscape level, safeguarding emblematic and precious ecosystems and species whose existence is a fundamental cornerstone of a broader sustainable landscape. Our contributions include technical assistance in sustainable financing, improving the systems and mechanisms for scientific research and the formulation of conservation strategies, and improving the effectiveness of protected area and ecosystem management.
Kevin Carlucci focuses on resource use efficiency (water, energy) and governance of land and its natural resources. He has particular interest in environmental finance, such as payments for ecosystem services, and in working to demystify how to access climate adaptation funding.
Polly Gillingam joined DAI in 2000 and has 25 years of experience in the international development sector.
Mark Higgins serves as a Principal Development Specialist with the USAID BRIDGE project, where he is the lead for integrated program design and implementation.
Jeremy Keeton specializes in biodiversity conservation and climate change, with an emphasis on environmental governance, climate change adaptation, and anti-wildlife trafficking.
John Leckie has 19 years of international project experience in the land, natural resources, and environment sectors in Europe, Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, and South America.
Joey Manfredo is an international development professional with more than a decade of project management and leadership experience in the Asia-Pacific region.
Alma Porciuncula has been leading DAI’s work in the Philippines on innovative financing for water supply and sanitation projects, policy, and regulatory and utility reform since 1994.
Jonathan Randall has been working at the intersection of sustainable economic development, climate change, and environmental conservation for more than 17 years.
Darren Saywell has 25 years of experience in practice, research and policy development in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), with a particular focus on solutions in urban environments.
Bruce Spake leads the company’s development initiatives in the Middle East, North Africa, and Afghanistan.
Catherine Wallis has worked in international development for 14 years with public, commercial, and nonprofit clients across inclusive and sustainable agricultural supply chains, climate, and environmental sectors.
John Waugh is a specialist in ecosystem management at landscape scales, working on complex problems in development and environment involving multiple systems, organizations, and cultures.
The Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) program is designed to drive the uptake and operationalization of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s new Environment and Natural Resource Management Framework.
Read MoreThe Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management Activity helps the Government of Vietnam reduce carbon emissions associated with deforestation, the degradation of natural forests, and poor plantation management.
Read MoreThe Peru PREVENT project is a five-year initiative to help Peruvian institutions and actors more effectively manage the country’s natural resources for future generations.
Read MoreThe Paani program works with local and national counterparts to conserve freshwater biodiversity and implement sustainable water management practices in Nepal.
Read MoreGEMA is working in western Honduras to further improve natural conservation policies; develop opportunities for inclusive, environmentally sustainable economic growth; and promote a more climate-informed and resilient civil society in Honduras.
Read MoreThe WALIS program provides technical, programmatic, administrative, and logistical support to USAID in improving the capacity of African water sectors.
Read MoreThe BRIDGE team is Integrating biodiversity conservation in development initiatives such as climate change adaptation and mitigation, democracy and governance, inclusive economic growth, food security, health, and trade, can create significant benefits for beneficiaries.
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DAI was founded in 1970 by three graduates of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government intent on providing a more dynamic and effective brand of development assistance. See how DAI is turning this American success story, into a global one.
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