14 



If we are looking for continued success, the first recommendation 

 I would make is to fund projects that work, as this one does, on 

 a variety of levels. The Neighbors as Partners program has always 

 emphasized vertical integration: grassroots activities, including 

 community development, meshed with regional planning and na- 

 tional policy work. Rural people have some control over their day- 

 to-day use of the resources. But it is naive and counterproductive 

 to assume that merely satisfying a few material needs, handing out 

 a bit of cash here and there, will free these people to become sus- 

 tainable users, even if they wanted to. A great many policies, laws, 

 and economic conditions affect the decisions of resource users. 

 These larger forces can negate any progress made at the grassroots 

 level. 



Next, there is a dire need for greater capacity among conserva- 

 tion personnel in many countries. Community conservation person- 

 nel require specialized skills for which they rarely receive training. 

 The small training budgets of most states are insufficient in this 

 regard. 



Finally, I would urge the U.S. funding strategy to seek self-suffi- 

 ciency in community conservation projects. AWF has placed great 

 emphasis on promoting the idea of community conservation as a 

 necessary component of park management. In Tanzania, we have 

 also succeeded in integrating community conservation into the gov- 

 ernment and the Tanzanian national park system; not just as a de- 

 sirable add-on, but as a necessity. The costs associated with such 

 projects must be built-in, institutionalized within the framework of 

 park management and, therefore, stable. 



What we need from the U.S. Government and other donors is a 

 long-term commitment. We need stability in funding and a willing- 

 ness to keep support coming for many years. If the committee can 

 address this need, it can do an immeasurable service to the people 

 in Africa. . 



Africa now has some of the foundation on which to build a per- 

 manent place for conservation in society, to create conservation in- 

 stitutions and capacity. But it needs a reliable, long-term commit- 

 ment on the part of the donors to finish the job. The African Wild- 

 life Foundation looks forward to working with this committee to see 

 it happen in the years ahead. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



[The prepared statement of Ms. McMeekin appears in the appen- 

 dix.] 



Mr. Gejdenson. Thank you. Ms. Vedder. 



STATEMENT OF AMY VEDDER, DIRECTOR OF THE WILDLIFE 



CONSERVATION SOCIETY 



Ms. Vedder. Thank you. First of all, I would like to thank you 

 for inviting me to testify, despite the fact that I am from New York. 



I come from the Wildlife Conservation Society. This Society was 

 founded in 1898 as the New York Zoological Society. We are a field- 

 driven program that promotes better understanding and protection 

 of wildlife and wilderness resources internationally. We have been 

 active in Africa since the 1920's. Currently, we have a wide-ranging 

 program that includes 80 projects in 20 different countries in Afri- 

 ca. This is in addition to our other global programs. Having worked 

 many years in Africa myself, I now direct the Africa program and 



