International Programs Records

The International Programs (IP) project began on November 1, 1967 and ended September 30, 1995. The program was a collaborative effort between the Denver Wildlife Research Center (DWRC), overseas governments, universities, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The International Programs project focused on 1) providing developing countries with assistance in increasing their human food supply by reducing losses to agricultural crops caused by vertebrate pests, 2) developing safe, effective, economical, and practical control methods appropriate for farmers in developing countries, and 3) providing acceptable solutions in the broader context of agricultural development and environmental protection.

The IP project began and matured during two major time periods in world history—the Cold War and the Green Revolution. The Cold War ran from 1947 to 1991, and refers to an era of geopolitical tension and rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union that began after the former allies parted ways following World War II. The Green Revolution occurred at approximately the same time, and generally relates to the worldwide spread of technologies that significantly increased the availability of several basic cereal crops such as corn, rice and wheat. Innovations from this period include the development and commercialization of high-yield seeds, the increased application of pesticides and herbicides, and the widespread use of irrigation techniques and modern fertilizers.

To increase agricultural output by helping developing countries eliminate or reduce damage caused by bats, birds, rodents, and other animal pests, the IP project sent out experts who conducted research, provided technical assistance, and worked to educate local farmers about vertebrate pest control. DWRC researchers worked to decrease Quelea bird devastation to African crops, rat damage to rice in Asia, and vampire bat rabies-infected cattle in Latin America. Though much of the work done in the IP program focused on developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, DWRC consultants also worked in countries in Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific. Primary projects included "Control of Vertebrate Pests," "Vertebrate Pest Management, ""Vertebrate Pest Control," and "Rats, Bats and Noxious Birds."

IP headquarters were located at the Denver Federal Center, but employees also worked at field stations situated in places like Bangladesh, Haiti, Sudan, and the Philippines. While the Philippines office was incorporated into the preexisting National Crop Protection Center, the other field stations were constructed as stand-alones in the early 1980s. Between the Denver office and the various field stations around the world, the IP project employed many people in the U.S. and abroad. DWRC consultants did not necessarily work exclusively for the International and Special Programs unit, but often worked on other DWRC projects or in other sections.

After nearly thirty years, the IP project ceased operations in 1995. Due to changing geopolitics, funding was cut as major international donors shifted their priorities towards emerging democracies. Relations between the US and Russia also improved in the 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union.

With approximately thirty years of research and outreach to draw from, this collections offers a fascinating glimpse into the DWRC’s IP foreign assistance program, which successfully established self-sustaining vertebrate control programs in the Philippines, Chad, Mexico, Colombia, Tanzania, Sudan, Bangladesh, Haiti, and Pakistan, as well as one that successfully increased food supplies by reducing agricultural pest problems in more than 90 developing nations around the world. Materials in this collection also demonstrate how the project found and maintained funding, conducted research, assisted foreign countries and their citizens, and how DWRC staff developed and provided outreach programs within those countries.