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be inappropriate for the funding period, we need a different kind of mechanism altogether. I 

 would submit that a reasonable time frame for committing funds to community conservation may 

 be as long as 15-20 years. 



Mr. Chairman, as the new Director of USAJD has said repeatedly, our foreign aid strategy must 

 change 10 meet the needs o( ihe developing world. Not only must we think differently about the 

 puipose of our assistance programs, but also the ways in which they are administered. Though 

 as a continent Africa is abundantly rich in natural resources, it is squandering them, for a variety 

 of reasons. It has reached the point in the conservation of these resources where hit-and-run, 

 temporary solutions no longer even preserve the status quo. 



Africa now has some of the foundation on which to build a permanent place for conservation in 

 society, to create conservation institutions and capacity. But it needs a reliable, long-term 

 commitment on the part cf donors to finish the job. 



1 look forward to working with (his committee to see ihu happen in the years ahead. 



