BANGKOK — 2025 saw global conservation plunged into chaos, with an estimated $500 million in funding from the United States government abruptly slashed after Donald Trump returned to office. The ripples of Trump’s policies were felt across the world, disproportionately impacting countries with the least domestic conservation resources. Across Southeast Asia, every element of conservation was disrupted, from wildlife crime prevention to reforestation projects, as well as studies on fish in the Mekong River and vital environmental reporting in Indonesia. Even after the dust settled, very few funding alternatives have emerged, as European countries also cut foreign aid budgets (including funds earmarked for conservation) in favor of military spending. None of this bodes well for Southeast Asia, where the region’s vulnerability to climate change is compounded by a sluggish transition away from the fossil fuels driving climate change, and economies still dominated by the exploitation of natural resources. Trapped in a vicious cycle More than 1,800 people across Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka died in extreme flooding events over the course of November and December 2025, with death tolls anticipated to rise as humanitarian efforts continue. Across the three Southeast Asian countries, the deadly floods are believed to have been caused by Cyclone Senyar, which was born out of sudden spikes in heavy rain brought about by human-made global heating. The frequency and intensity of deadly extreme weather events has ramped up in recent years, with the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam all experiencing devastating typhoons in 2024. Yet the…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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