THE PROGRESS WE’VE MADE TOGETHER…

Just 10 years ago, wild tigers were heading towards extinction. From perhaps 100,000 at the beginning of the 20th century

In 2010, the governments of all 13 tiger-range countries made a “TX2” commitment to double wild tigers by 2022 – the Chinese Year of the Tiger. A global recovery plan followed and WWF, together with individuals, businesses, communities, governments, and other conservation partners, have worked tirelessly to turn this grand ambition into reality. 

Since then, tigers have made an incredible comeback in Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Russia. Numbers are increasing in many landscapes and populations are even moving into new areas, which is also great news for the many species and millions of human beings who rely on healthy tiger habitats.  

This success is the result of many efforts. Investing in protected areas. Creating best-practice global conservation standards (CA|TS) for managing tiger habitats, which are being implemented in over 125 sites. Reducing poaching and challenging the trade in tiger body parts, from changing consumer behaviour and tackling criminal activities to helping phase out of tiger farms. And supporting the crucial role played by communities in protecting tigers.

THE CHALLENGE WE STILL FACE…

Unfortunately, the many historic threats to the tiger, ranging from habitat destruction and fragmentation to the illegal wildlife trade, have not gone away. And these are having particularly harmful impacts in the countries of Southeast Asia.

Snaring, in particular, is a growing menace in this region to tigers and other wildlife, including the prey they rely on for food. For instance, in one of Southeast Asia’s most important remaining tiger landscapes, Belum-Temengor in Malaysia, the tiger population declined by 50% from 2009-2018 largely due to snaring. 

We know the solutions that can turn things around. More resources to safeguard wildlife in protected areas; stronger laws and enforcement to challenge the illegal wildlife trade; improved resources to stop poaching; and increased education and awareness raising to tackle consumer demand for tiger parts. 

Together, we can change this.

THE PROGRESS WE’VE MADE TOGETHER…

In the heart of the Colombian Amazon, Serranía del Chiribiquete National Park is one of the most pristine areas of tropical rainforest on the planet. 

It’s home to almost 3,000 species of animals and plants, including vulnerable wildlife like lowland tapirs, giant otters, giant anteaters, woolly monkeys, river dolphins and jaguars. An amazing diversity that’s explained by its unique location – where the Amazon meets the neighbouring ecoregions of the Andes, Orinoco and Guyanas. 

Chiribiquete is also vitally important to local indigenous communities, some of whom remain uncontacted or live in voluntary isolation. The park’s archaeological treasures include ancient rock art – 50 murals made up of more than 70,000 ancient paintings, some over 20,000 years old, can be found across the region’s many tepuis, table-top rock formations that rise out of the dense forest. The isolation of these imposing towers also means that many of the plants and animals living in them are found nowhere else on Earth.

In 2018, after years of campaigning by WWF and others, the Colombian government increased the size of the national park by more than half. At 4.3 million hectares – the size of Denmark – it’s now the largest area of protected rainforest in the world. Chiribiquete has also been recognized as a World Heritage site, helping to safeguard its natural and cultural riches for future generations.

We’re now working with communities, government and other partners to make sure the national park is properly looked after. And, together, we’re working to create a network of well-managed and well-funded protected areas right across Colombia.

THE CHALLENGE WE STILL FACE…

Every year, an area of forest more than twice the size of Chiribiquete National Park is destroyed. Although many governments, businesses and others have committed to end deforestation, 10 million hectares of forest are still being lost each year – that’s an area the size of a football pitch every second. 

Agriculture is the single biggest driver, particularly the production of beef, palm oil and soya, with mining, poorly managed logging, road building and other development also destroying forest habitats.

Deforestation threatens the survival of countless species and the millions of people who live in and around forests. It also has global impacts, intensifying climate change and increasing the risk of pandemics like Covid-19 by increasing human contact with wildlife and the diseases they carry. 

Governments, communities, businesses and many others, including WWF, all have a part to play in turning things around. We need to help people better understand the many vital services forests provide to all of us, no matter where we live, from clean water to healthy soils. We need to halt deforestation, better protect and sustainably manage the forests that remain and restore forest landscapes. 

Together, we can change this.

THE PROGRESS WE’VE MADE TOGETHER…

Our ocean contains an estimated 300 million tonnes of plastic. It kills marine life, smothers our beaches and even makes its way into the food we eat. But the world is finally waking up to this enormous problem. 

So far, more than 30 cities, from Thailand to Tunisia, have committed to take action to stop plastic pollution – and we’re aiming to get 1,000 plastic-smart cities to join the movement by 2030. This is vitally important as about 60% of plastic in the ocean comes from urban areas. 

The growing global movement for change is leading to progress in other ways too. Over 65 governments have pledged their support for a global treaty to prevent plastic pollution, after more than 2 million people around the world signed our petition.

With consumers calling for action, businesses are getting onboard too. More than 500 organizations, including companies responsible for more than 20% of all plastic packaging, have signed the WWF-backed New Plastics Economy Global Commitment to eliminate plastic waste. And through our ReSource: Plastic initiative, we’re helping them turn ambition into action. 

THE CHALLENGE WE STILL FACE…

Despite these encouraging signs, a truck load of plastic is still being dumped into the ocean every single minute.

By the end of the decade, we’re likely to be producing 40% more plastic than we do today. And without urgent action, there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.

One of the most urgent issues right now is the need to tackle the threat of lost or discarded plastic fishing gear. So-called “ghost gear” is the deadliest type of plastic debris, trapping and entangling marine mammals, turtles, seabirds and sharks, as well as important fish stocks.

And there are other critical environmental issues linked to our use of plastic – from the way plastic production currently accounts for around 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions to the air pollution caused by burning plastic waste.

These are challenging problems but we are confident that the co-ordinated actions of businesses, cities and governments, together with hundreds of millions of people making changes in their own lifestyles, can lead to no plastic in nature by 2030.

Together, we can change this.