World Wildlife Fund

Scaling up community conservation
To date many community conservation programs have been limited in scale. Expanding these initiatives requires working across larger landscapes and addressing complex social, policy, economic and governance factors on the local, national and international levels.

As the scale of community conservation is increased, so is the power of local people to control their own resources, and so is the number of acres and species under sustainable, long-term management. WWF, with the support of donors like the Ford Foundation, is expanding community conservation by increasing the capacity of local organizations, government agencies and other institutions; promoting policy and legislative initiatives; and helping communities share their successes and knowledge. WWF is also laying the foundation to scale up our work on population and health issues, with support from USAID and Johnson & Johnson.

Reducing the environmental impact of conflict
Armed conflict often robs communities of reliable livelihoods, increases their dependence on natural resources, and intensifies pressure on the environment. When law and order break down during conflict, valuable endangered species such as elephants, tigers and rhinos are jeopardized. 

WWF and our partners work in places such as Nepal and the Democratic Republic of Congo to reduce the human and environmental effects of conflict. In post-conflict situations we help maintain peace by supporting community reconstruction and development and by promoting sound environmental management

Empowering women and girls
Women often lack the education to make responsible conservation decisions, and are denied the resources and opportunities to control their own economic destinies. Without intervention the cycle of poverty and inequality is repeated from mother to daughter.

WWF established the Girls' Scholarship Program to educate girls from disadvantaged families in key areas of the Eastern Himalayas, Coastal East Africa, Madagascar and the Coral Triangle. We chose these places because of their high population growth and low literacy for girls and women. We provide girls with schooling, environmental education and life skills training. In Nepal, two of the original 34 WWF scholars are attending college, while others are studying to become amchis, traditional healers who help safeguard valuable horticultural and medicinal resources while bringing much needed health care to their communities.

Helping communities adapt to climate change
Climate change will have huge impacts on communities and natural resources, particularly in the developing world. As nature tries to adapt, it will be under increased pressure from humans.

WWF is working with communities worldwide who face sea level rise, drought, worsening farming conditions and other environmental changes. We are working with communities in Fiji to restore mangroves for storm surge protection. By collaborating with local partners, development organizations, governments and corporations, we will increase local peoples’ resilience to climate change while also developing adaptation strategies to help them reduce pressure on biodiversity.

Engaging the stewards of nature
Indigenous peoples are key guardians of some of Earth’s most fragile ecosystems. However, political and social marginalization often limits recognition of their rights and undermines the foundation of their long-term stewardship of nature.

WWF’s Indigenous Peoples Initiative promotes engagement with indigenous communities and organizations to identify shared concerns and explore opportunities for collaboration. The recognition of traditional stewardship rights and the empowerment of indigenous communities is often the greatest opportunity for conservation. WWF has developed collaborative partnerships with indigenous peoples in the Amazon and the Arctic Circle’s Bering Sea and Kamchatka Peninsula. We are building on our experience with these and other people to achieve similar successes around the world.