World Wildlife Fund

View all press releases from:  2008    2007    2006    2005    2004    2003    2002

• New Hope For Sumatra's Elephants And Tigers As Indonesia Doubles Size Of Key National Park

  World Wildlife Fund (WWF) hailed today's commitment by the government of Indonesia to more than double the size of Sumatra's Tesso Nilo National Park, one of the last havens for endangered Sumatran elephants and critically endangered Sumatran tigers.

  August 28, 2008

• Fishing Technology That’s Letting Turtles Off the Hook

  Alternative fishing technology has been shown to save turtles while not affecting fish catches, according to a report released today by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).

  August 26, 2008

• Multiple Polar Bears Discovered Swimming Many Miles From Alaska Coast

  An aerial survey by government scientists in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea this week found at least nine polar bears swimming in open water – with one at least 60 miles from shore – raising concern among wildlife experts about their survival. A World Wildlife Fund (WWF) polar bear expert said the bears could have difficulty making it safely to shore and risk drowning, particularly if a storm arises.

  August 21, 2008

• “Salamanders to Elephants,” Carter Roberts featured in The New York Times

   

  August 19, 2008

• Congo Basin Unveils World's Largest Protected Wetland

   

  August 18, 2008

• WWF Outfits Bluefin Tuna with Tags to Shed Light on Population Decline

  Palma de Mallorca, SPAIN, August 14, 2008 – Key answers about the migratory behavior of overfished bluefin tuna will be revealed with the launch of a three-year Mediterranean tuna tagging project in Spain’s Balearic Islands, led by WWF scientists. Media can attend the tagging launch from August 27 to September 2 to observe the activities first-hand and speak to WWF fisheries experts on the bluefin tuna crisis.

  August 14, 2008

• Flawed U.S. Regulations Make Tigers in Captivity Vulnerable, New Report Shows

  Huge gaps in U.S. regulations for tigers held in captivity could make the big cats a target for illegal trade, wildlife trade monitoring group TRAFFIC and World Wildlife Fund found in the first-ever comprehensive report on captive tiger regulations across the United States

  July 31, 2008

• World Wildlife Fund mourns the loss of Phil Ruhle Sr., fishermen, innovator and advocate for ocean conservation.

  On the evening of July 23 the fishing vessel Sea Breeze was lost at sea 50 miles off the coast of New Jersey. The vessel was skippered by Captain Phil Ruhle Sr., co-winner of WWF’s 2007 Smart Gear competition for his Rhode Island team's inspiring fishing gear design “The Eliminator”. Two crew members were rescued by the coast guard but it appears Phil Ruhle Sr. remained onboard as the vessel capsized and sank.

  July 29, 2008

• Climate Change Likely To Add Fuel To Wildfires, Causing Greater Risk Of Respiratory Harm From Smoke Inhalation, U.S. Government Study Finds

  Wildfires, which have ravaged the Western United States to a record degree in recent years, are likely to become even more severe, frequent and widespread due to climate change, leading to an expected increase in respiratory illness from smoke inhalation, increased property damage, and significant disruption to communities throughout the West and South, warns a new government report issued today.

  July 17, 2008

• WWF Praises Gore For Climate-Smart Energy Vision

  Former Vice President Al Gore today called upon the United States to embark on a path toward energy independence by committing to generate 100 percent of its electricity from clean, domestic, non-emitting energy sources, such as solar, wind and geothermal. Dr. Richard Moss, vice president for climate change at World Wildlife Fund (WWF), issued this statement.

  July 17, 2008

• China approved for controlled ivory imports from Africa

  China has been approved as a buyer of legally stockpiled African elephant ivory under strict conditions. The decision was made today at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

  July 15, 2008

• Wal-Mart Joins WWF's Global Forest and Trade Network

  Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. joined the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN), World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) initiative to save the world’s most valuable and threatened forests, WWF announced today. By joining the GFTN, Wal-Mart has committed to phasing out illegal and unwanted wood sources from its supply chain and increasing its proportion of wood products originating from credibly certified sources – for Wal-Mart stores and Sam’s Clubs in the United States.

  July 14, 2008

• New Report From WWF Projects Stressed Water Resources In Southeast U.S. Due To Climate Change

  As the Southeast contends with the second consecutive year of exceptional drought, a new report commissioned by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) projects that climate change will increasingly stress water resources and affect water quality over a major portion of the region. The report, which was presented at a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill today, concludes that climate impacts on water resources are likely to be further exacerbated by population growth and land use changes. At risk are hundreds of unique, threatened, or endangered aquatic vertebrate species.

  July 10, 2008

• Dr. Patrick N. Halpin To Speak At World Wildlife Fund

  Dr. Patrick N. Halpin, a leading expert in marine conservation, will discuss “Protecting the Large Pelagics: New Technologies for Marine Conservation in the Open Ocean” at World Wildlife Fund on Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. The lecture is part of the Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Seminar series, which brings distinguished scientists from a variety of fields to Washington, D.C. to present cutting edge research of central importance to international conservation.

  July 09, 2008

• WWF Briefing To Examine Impacts Of Climate Change On Southeast U.S. Watersheds

  Tomorrow, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Allianz Foundation for North America and the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will host a briefing on the results of a climate change vulnerability assessment of the Cumberland, Mobile, and Tennessee River Basins. The river basins are globally unique and ecologically important, and are vital sources of clean water. The assessment comes at a time when portions of the region are experiencing exceptional drought conditions for the second consecutive year.

  July 09, 2008

• World Wildlife Fund Confirms Attack On WWF Vehicle In Congo

  World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials said today they have received confirmation that two people were killed and three injured in an attack on a WWF vehicle in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo on July 7. A WWF staff member was among those injured.

  July 09, 2008

• WWF Releases G8 Climate Scorecards, Urges US Government To Strengthen Energy Efficiency And Energy R and D Efforts

  In advance of next week’s G8 summit in Japan, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has released a new report examining the progress of each of the G8 countries toward addressing climate change, a main focus of this year’s meeting.

  July 03, 2008

• Endangered Tiger Moved to Reserve in India in First-Ever Attempt at Relocation

  In a groundbreaking effort to preserve the species, an endangered Bengal tiger was relocated to the Sariska tiger reserve in India on June 28th—an area where the entire tiger population was wiped out a few years ago.

  July 03, 2008

• Impacts from Extreme Weather Events Made Worse Due to Lack of Conservation, Report Finds

  Environmental degradation is a key factor in turning extreme weather events and natural hazards, like floods, earthquakes, cyclones, forest fires and hurricanes into catastrophic natural disasters, according to a new report from World Wildlife Fund. In the wake of a series of recent devastating events, like the flooding in the Midwest, the massive earthquake in China and the typhoon in the Philippines, among others, this report illustrates how natural resource protection could have helped to mitigate the effects of these disasters and highlights the potential for conservation now to help alleviate impacts from future episodes.

  July 02, 2008

• Tigers Disappear From Himalayan Refuge

  World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is alarmed by the dramatic decline of at least 30 percent in the Bengal tiger population of Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve in Nepal, once a refuge that boasted among the highest densities of the endangered species in the Eastern Himalayas. The recent survey of April 2008 showed a population of between 6-14 tigers, down from 20-50 tigers in 2005.

  July 02, 2008

• Who Will Save Pacific Tuna?

  Faced with declining populations of bigeye and yellowfin tuna, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) concluded its annual meeting last week in Panama City and failed to produce a binding conservation agreement. This was the IATTC’s fourth attempt in the past year to adopt conservation measures to combat overfishing and launch the recovery of certain tuna populations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Once again negotiations failed.

  July 02, 2008

• A Bitter Pill to Swallow

  Two reports from TRAFFIC, the world's largest wildlife trade monitoring network, on traditional medicine systems in Cambodia and Vietnam suggest that illegal wildlife trade, including entire tiger skeletons, and unsustainable harvesting is depleting the region’s rich and varied biodiversity and putting the primary healthcare resource of millions at risk.

  July 01, 2008

• Philippine President Gloria Arroyo Meets with NGO’s, Public and Private CEOs and Officials to Discuss Global Food Security and Sustaining the Resources of SE Asia’s “Coral Triangle”

  WWF Enlists President’s Support for Coral Triangle InitiativeWashington, D.C. - On Monday, June 23rd President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines, together with World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International held a luncheon with CEOs and top officials of various public and private organizations, to enlist their support of Coral Triangle Initiative, which the President and her country are founding members of.

  June 30, 2008

• Senior WWF official Urges Congress to Embrace Global Approach to Species Conservation

  In testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives today, Tom Dillon, senior vice president for field programs at World Wildlife Fund (WWF), urged a new paradigm in international species conservation, comprised of a globally based strategic vision and greater funding for conservation efforts.

  June 24, 2008

• WWF Applauds Passage of Legislation to Curb Illegal Fishing

  World Wildlife Fund (WWF) applauded the passage of legislation today by the Senate Commerce Committee that would significantly improve fisheries monitoring and enforcement.

  June 24, 2008