World Wildlife Fund

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is a transnational conservation organization supported by 5 million members worldwide, dedicated to protecting and conserving endangered species and natural environments, and increasing awareness of threatening global issues such as climate change and overharvesting. The WWF directs conservation projects in more than 100 countries, and partners with numerous environmental and nonenvironmental groups to cosponsor initiatives in more than 30 countries, focusing on policy development, education, and advocacy.

The WWF was founded on September 11, 1961, by biologist Sir Julian Huxley, ornithologist Sir Peter Scott, director general of the British Nature Conservancy Max Nicholson, and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. Originally known as The World Wildlife Fund, an International Foundation for Saving the World's Wildlife and Wild Places, the fund emerged from the significant concerns of prominent members of the research-based World Conservation Union (IUCN). These scientists recognized the potential loss of wilderness and native animals in Africa, Asia, and Latin America as a disaster in the making, accompanying economic development after decolonization and World War II. It was quickly evident that major financial resources would be required to effectively protect the land and its indigenous species; hence, the WWF was initially conceived as the fund-raising arm of the IUCN. Since its genesis the fund has been dedicated to building scientific, technical, and financial resources in service of conservation activities. In addition, they have formed partnerships with major institutions worldwide, including universities, nongovernmental organizations, government agencies, lobbying groups as well as corporations. The fund's objectives promote the conservation of natural resources while paying heed to regional economic development.

Traditionally, the WWF embarked on many local area conservation projects, in which scientists were sent to developing countries to examine the endangerment of local animals and the deterioration of their habitats. Originally, the WWF sought to put a halt to development in particular wildlife areas by working with local authorities to form national parks within specified boundaries. These efforts met with limited success, because migrating animals are not easily contained within boundaries established by humans. As the indigenous people of developing countries became more empowered, the WWF made a more conscious effort to integrate the perspectives of the local populations into its conservation agenda.

Among its most celebrated breakthroughs are debtfor-nature swaps, the international ban on ivory trading, and its outreach to protect the giant panda. The swaps resulted from the recognition of the economic circumstances of developing nations and providing solutions for countries' massive accumulated debt. Thomas Lovejoy, vice president of the WWF in 1984, proposed acquiring portions of countries' debt in exchange for the conservation of their natural resources. The WWF works with major financial institutions to retire specific amounts of a developing country's debt by asking banks to sell the debt back to the country at a highly discounted rate. The bank then donates the revenue received from that sale back to the country in its local currency to fund local conservation projects. At the same time, the WWF and other landpreservation groups contribute significant funds to support these conservation projects.

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