Our history includes such pivotal moments as protecting iconic species like pandas, tigers, rhinos and elephants as well as those that are less known like the river dolphins in Asia and Latin America, securing the introduction of an indefinite moratorium on oil activities in Belize waters, and pioneering the debt-for-nature concept in Madagascar as a means to help preserve the country’s rich biodiversity.

Explore our history

 

1961

1961

Our founders launch the World Wildlife Fund to help save the world’s wildlife. In 1985, we change our name to World Wide Fund for Nature – the change from “wildlife” to “nature” reflects our broadening scope – and use the acronym “WWF” in our communications.

1962

1962

A WWF grant helps establish a research station in the biodiversity-rich Galápagos Islands; today, it still has a key role in raising awareness about the islands’ unique wildlife.

1963

1963

We help fund a pioneering new college in Tanzania for protected areas management training; thousands of wildlife managers from around the world have since benefitted.

1965

1965

With rhino numbers under growing pressure, we support the East African Wildlife Society’s trial introduction of southern white rhinos from South Africa to Kenya – followed by other conservation efforts to safeguard rhino species in the coming decades.

1969

1969

WWF purchases the Coto Doñana wetland in Spain after the threat of tourism development; today, it’s a national park and safe haven for migratory birds and the critically endangered Iberian Lynx.

1971

1971

Advocacy from WWF and others leads to 18 governments signing the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance; 250+ million hectares since protected under the convention.

1972

1972

Our Operation Tiger global campaign leads to country-level conservation efforts followed by a joint commitment by 13 tiger-range states in 2010; a partial recovery in tiger numbers has followed.

1972

1972

WWF fundraising campaign helps buy land around the world-famous Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya, followed by further conservation programmes for this key flamingo feeding ground.

1975

1975

WWF’s Tropical Rainforest Campaign is first-ever global conservation campaign for an entire biome, followed by longstanding efforts to protect and restore tropical forests around the world.

1976

1976

WWF and IUCN set up TRAFFIC wildlife trade monitoring programme to support the newly created Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES); 100+ monitoring projects continue today.

1980

1980

WWF, IUCN and UNEP create the World Conservation Strategy, the first to put sustainable development at the heart of conservation efforts; 50+ countries develop national conservation strategies based on the strategy’s recommendations.

1982

1982

Our longstanding efforts, together with Greenpeace and others, help lead to a moratorium on commercial whaling; we remain opposed to commercial exploitation and vigilant about threats such as pollution and bycatch.

1986

1986

Cameroon’s Korup National Park is established with WWF support, one of the first to include local people in the planning process; our efforts continue there to help both nature and communities thrive.

1988

1988

We help pioneer the “debt-for-nature” concept in Costa Rica, Ecuador and the Philippines; the initiative, in which part of a nation’s debt is bought in return for the country allocating an equivalent amount to conservation, has generated millions of dollars in these and other countries.

1989

1989

WWF's campaign to save the African elephant plays an important part in the decision by CITES to enact a ban on the international ivory trade.

1991

1991

Responding to the dwindling mountain gorilla population in Africa, the International Gorilla Conservation Programme – a joint initiative of the African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna and Flora International, and WWF – is created; numbers have grown in the past decade to over 1,000.

1992

1992

WWF plays a key role in establishing UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the international treaty covering conservation and use of biodiversity; signed initially by 163 states, WWF has helped governments to implement their CBD commitments.

1993

1993

We are a key player in the launch of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a pioneering certification scheme for sustainable forest products; the launch by WWF and Unilever of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) wild-caught seafood scheme follows three years later.

1996

1996

We work with Malaysia and the Philippines to set up the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area – the world’s first transboundary marine protected area for sea turtles and the main nesting area for green sea turtles.

1997

1997

WWF has a pivotal role in the Kyoto Protocol, the first international agreement to limit carbon emissions that leads to the groundbreaking Paris climate agreement in 2015 signed by over 190 states.

1998

1998

We publish the first Living Planet Report; the bi-annual publication continues today in partnership with the Zoological Society of London, providing a world-leading analysis of biodiversity health and humanity’s pressure on nature.

2002

2002

We work with the Brazilian government and others to set up the Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) programme, eventually supporting over 50 million hectares of protected areas; our Earth for Life initiative helps provide long-term funding for ARPA as well as conservation in Bhutan, Colombia and Peru.

2007

2007

The first Earth Hour takes place in Sydney, Australia; it develops into one of the world’s leading grassroots environmental movements, with millions across a record-breaking 192 countries and territories in 2021 calling for action on the nature and climate crises.

2008

2008

To help halt deforestation for conversion to oil palm plantations, a global certification scheme for sustainable palm oil, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, is established with our support; today, 19% of global palm oil is certified.

2009

2009

Leaders of six nations commit to a conservation plan for the Coral Triangle region of the western Pacifc, which hosts most of the world’s coral species; WWF’s ongoing support includes working for more sustainable marine industries and to improve livelihoods for coastal communities.

2016

2016

Our longstanding efforts help create the world’s largest ocean protected area, covering over 1.5 million km2, off Antarctica in the Ross Sea – a haven for whales, penguins and other species.

2017

2017

Our work to end the elephant poaching crisis is boosted by China’s ban on its domestic ivory trade, the world’s largest market; WWF-backed consumer awareness campaigns in key Asian markets and anti-poaching measures in elephants’ African habitats continue.

2018

2018

WWF launches the vision of a New Deal for Nature and People where the world comes together to restore nature; in 2020, over 80 heads of state and government sign a Leaders’ Pledge for Nature that commits them to reverse nature loss by 2030.

2019

2019

WWF is a key advocate for a global treaty to end ocean plastic pollution; to date, about 70 governments, 50 businesses, and more than 2 million people have backed our calls.

As part of our 60th celebrations, discover some of recent successes, the challenges still to overcome and how by working together we can make change

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