WWF is...
-
The world's largest and most experienced independent conservation
organisation;
- A truly global network, working in more than 90 countries;
- A challenging, constructive, science-based organisation that addresses
issues from the survival of species and habitats to climate change,
sustainable business and environmental education;
- A charity dependent upon its five million supporters worldwide - some 90
per cent of our income derives from voluntary sources such as people and the
business community.
- An organisation that makes a difference.
Turn back the pages of history!
WWF was officially founded on 11 September 1961 amid fears that habitat
destruction and hunting would soon bring about the extinction of much of
Africa's wildlife. Among the distinguished group of founders were Sir Julian
Huxley, the renowned biologist, and Sir Peter Scott, the naturalist and
painter, who designed the original panda logo.
The organisation's international headquarters were established in
Switzerland, and WWF offices were set up in many countries, starting with
the UK.
By
the end of the 1970s, the focus of WWF's work had broadened to encompass not
only the conservation of wildlife and habitats, but also the wider
implications of man's activities on the environment.
In 1980 WWF's World Conservation Strategy warned that humanity had no
future unless nature and the world's natural resources were conserved. It
also introduced the concept of sustainable development - living within the
limits of the natural environment without compromising the needs of future
generations - which has been central to WWF's thinking ever since.
Taking action for a living planet:
WWF has grown from modest beginnings into a truly global conservation
organisation that has been instrumental in making the environment a matter
of world concern. In addition to funding and managing countless conservation
projects throughout the world, WWF continues to lobby governments and
policy-makers, conduct research, influence education systems, and work with
business and industry to address global threats to the planet by seeking
long-term solutions.
