Known internationally by its panda logo, WWF is the world's largest private conservation organization. Its aim is to preserve the abundance and diversity of life on earth as well as those natural environments and ecological processes essential to this end. An independent nongovernmental organization, WWF works in conjunction with governments, other NGOs, scientists, business, industry and people at the local level. The Director General of the WWF International Secretariat in Gland, Switzerland, is Dr. Claude Martin.

Since its creation in 1961, WWF has invested in more than 13,000 projects in 154 countries. Using its 27 national organizations, 24 program offices and five Associates, the WWF works with the general public to generate more public awareness of conservation issues, spotlighting crucial issues by launching high-visibility international campaigns. In 1986, WWF changed its name from World Wildlife Fund to "World Wide Fund for Nature" to reflect its wider responsibilities, not just protecting wildlife species, but conserving the ecological processes and life-support systems including soil, water and air as well as the habitats on which life depends.

Since 1985, WWF has channeled $2.1 billion to projects around the world. Its work has included rehabilitation programs for tropical moist forests and other endangered woodlands which house over half of the world's species; revitalization and conservation of wetlands and coastal habitats; preservation of global biodiversity (species richness, genetic diversity and ecosystem complexity); the successful lobbying for the creation of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary; and campaigns to reduce consumption and ban illegal trade in products of endangered species such as rhino horns and elephant tusks.

WWF is currently running five international campaigns: "Living Planet" aims to mobilize conservation action on a global scale, and produces the "Living Planet Report," an annual review of the state of the world's natural resources. One focus is the preservation of the Global 200, a set of ecoregions encompasing a representative array of the earth's natural habitats. "Endangered Seas" seeks to safeguard fisheries and marine biological diversity by establishing marine protected areas. It also seeks to reduce wasteful government subsidies that contribute to overfishing and to create market incentives for sustainable fishing. "Forests for Life" seeks to establish an ecologically representative network of protected areas covering at least 10 percent of the world's forest area by 2000 and to ensure the independent certification of 25 million hectares of sustainably managed forest by 2001. WWF's Climate Change Campaign seeks to achieve a permanent downward trend in gross domestic carbon dioxide emissions in western industrialised countries by 2001. "Living Waters" seeks to conserve freshwater ecosystems and the species that depend on these habitats and to ensure that adequate fresh water is available in the future. The program aims, by the year 2002, to increase by 50 percent the area of the world's freshwater ecosytems that are committed for protection, restoration or effective management.

In 1987, the WWF innovated "Debt-For-Nature Swaps" as a way of easing developing world debt while at the same time supporting national conservation efforts. The swaps involve the acquisition of part of a country's external debt by a conservation organization, at a discount, and its redemption in local currency, local currency bonds, or dollar bonds to be used for conservation activities. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), provides support for debt-for-nature swaps.

In 1998, WWF Director General Dr Claude Martin established a "Futures Group" to provide a medium- to long-term view of the major environmental and development issues confronting the planet within which WWF will be expected to play a key role, and advise how the organization may respond to these developments. A report from the Group in December 1999 emphasized the challenges of the next two decades during which several WWF initiatives will come to bear: Ecoregion-based Conservation, which often transcends national boundaries; the Action Network approach which focuses intense conservation activity in areas of great biodiversity; and a European Initiative to reduce Europe's global footprint.

U.S. Policy: The U.S. national organization continues to be known as World Wildlife Fund; it is recognized as one of the strongest national WWF bodies.

Membership: WWF is not made up of member states; rather its work is supported by 4.7 million contributors, most of them private individuals.

Budget: In 1999, the WWF network spent almost $35 million on its projects.

Internet
www.panda.org

Address
World Wide Fund for Nature
Avenue du Mont-Blanc
CH-1196 Gland
Tel. 364.9111
Fax. 364.5829/364.8307

E-mail: infobox@wwfnet.org