World Wildlife Fund

Conservation Issues WWF International staff monitor logging operations in Gabon
© WWF-Canon / Martin HARVEY

By setting targets that address the threats facing the world’s forest, WWF has been able to deliver many achievements in our work to protect forests, promote responsible management and restore once-forested land to a more authentic state.

• WWF has established partnerships with over 350 companies in more than 30 countries through the Global Forest & Trade Network. These companies, committed to responsible forest management and trade as well as credible certification in valuable and threatened forest, represent approximately 12 percent of the volume of forest products traded globally.
• WWF was instrumental in achieving  Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification of more than 1 million acres of forest concession in Peru, and in gaining chain-of-custody certification for 10 forest companies.
• In 2007, a milestone 10-millionth tree has been planted by the WWF-supported Virunga Environmental Program in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For 20 years, the program has helped conserve Virunga National Park by promoting privately owned tree plantations that create alternative wood sources outside the park.
• A concerted campaign by WWF’s Borneo and Sumatra team led to office supplies retailer Staple’s decision to stop buying paper from Asia Pulp & Paper.
• With the support of WWF and its partners, the government of Brazil has established the world's largest protected forest area in the Amazon, with a further 12 percent slated for protection.
• WWF is working with communities and indigenous people in Ecuador, Nicaragua, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Canada, Romania, Tanzania and other countries to improve management of forests and to secure funding for community development.
• At the initiative of WWF, the six governments of Africa's Congo Basin region have come together to protect and sustainably manage some of the most important forests on the planet.
• The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was established by WWF and other organizations to provide standard setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services for companies and organizations interested in responsible forestry.