DOI-International Technical Assistance Program (ITAP) work in Sub-Saharan Africa has included protected areas management, tourism development, natural resource conservation program development, rural community engagement in natural resources conservation, land cover mapping, and groundwater resource monitoring. A major focal area is wildlife trafficking, which threatens the security, economy, and biodiversity of East Africa. To protect the regions wildlife in line with the US National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Missions in East Africa have created the Partnership to End Wildlife Trafficking in East Africa with DOI-ITAP. The program provides partners with access to DOI’s ten bureaus and 70,000 specialized employees to advise on topics including: law enforcement,
investigations, and inspections, ranger training and protected areas management, sustainable tourism in rural communities, climate science and clean energy, science and technology, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) application and management, and direct assistance to local partners.