World Wide Fund for Nature

World Wide Fund for Nature
AbbreviationWWF
Formation29 April 1961; 63 years ago (1961-04-29)
Founders
TypeInternational NGO
Purpose
HeadquartersRue Mauverney 28
Gland, Switzerland
Region
Worldwide
Methods
  • Lobbying
  • Research
  • Consultancy
President
Adil Najam
Director General
Kirsten Schuijt
Revenue
Increase US$433 million (2022)[3]
Websitewwf.panda.org
worldwildlife.org (US)
^ b: Also the WWF's first president.[4]

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment.[5] It was formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States. WWF is the world's largest conservation organization, with over five million supporters worldwide, working in more than 100 countries and supporting around 3,000 conservation and environmental projects.[6] They have invested over $1 billion in more than 12,000 conservation initiatives since 1995.[7] WWF is a foundation with 65% of funding from individuals and bequests, 17% from government sources (such as the World Bank, DFID, and USAID) and 8% from corporations in 2020.[8][9]

WWF aims to "stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature."[10] The Living Planet Report has been published every two years by WWF since 1998; it is based on a Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculation.[5] In addition, WWF has launched several notable worldwide campaigns, including Earth Hour and Debt-for-nature swap, and its current work is organized around these six areas: food, climate, freshwater, wildlife, forests, and oceans.[5][7]

WWF has faced criticism for its corporate ties[11][12][13] and for supporting conservation measures that have resulted in violent conflict with local people.[14][15] WWF is part of the Steering Group of the Foundations Platform F20, an international network of foundations and philanthropic organizations.[16]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference WWF history was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ In Memoriam: Godfrey A. Rockefeller Archived 14 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine, World Wildlife Fund, 29 January 2010.
  3. ^ "Financial Info". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  4. ^ "WWF – Who We Are – History". Worldwildlife.org. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "WWF conservation projects around the world". Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  7. ^ a b "WWF – Endangered Species Conservation". World Wildlife Fund. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  8. ^ "How is WWF run?". Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ WWFN-International Annual Review (PDF). World Wide Fund for Nature. 2020. p. 60. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  10. ^ "WWF's Mission, Guiding Principles and Goals". WWF. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Corp1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Corp2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Paddison, Laura (15 October 2013). "WWF's president on business partnerships and greenwashing". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Green Violence: 'Eco-Guards' Are Abusing Indigenous Groups in Africa". Yale E360. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  15. ^ Beaumont, Peter (25 November 2020). "Report clears WWF of complicity in violent abuses by conservation rangers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  16. ^ "F20 – For a transformation that leaves no one behind – F20 – For a transformation that leaves no one behind". Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.