World Wildlife Fund

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• Florida Fisherman, Indian Farmer Named As Co-Winners of This Year's Getty Conservation Prize

  Washington, DC - A lobster fisherman from Marathon, Florida and a tiger conservationist and farmer from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, are this year's co-winners of the prestigious J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize, the World Wildlife Fund announced today.

  December 21, 2004

• Latest Census Finds More American Pika Populations Disappear as Climate Warms

  WASHINGTON - WWF-funded research by Dr. Erik Beever of the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed that American pika populations in the Great Basin region are continuing to disappear as the Earth's climate warms.

  December 16, 2004

• WWF Calls for Risk Assessment, Greater Protections as Bering Sea Disaster Grows

  Washington - World Wildlife Fund today called on federal and Alaskan officials to follow up the Selendang Ayu wreck and fuel spill with a risk assessment of shipping routes in the Bering Sea, including the Great Circle Route, along which the spill took place. It is the primary shipping route between the west coast of North America and Asia. Among other things, the assessment should consider additional capacity for safety and habitat protection, and lead to the designation of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas around ecologically important areas in the Bering Sea, which would require shippers to take special precautions.

  December 14, 2004

• Peace-Loving Primates' Population Plummets

  Washington - Bonobos, or pygmy chimpanzees, arguably our closest relative, may have been hunted so extensively that the survival of the species is at risk, World Wildlife Fund warns.

  December 09, 2004

• Coral Reef Vacations May Become a Thing of the Past

  Washington - Finding Nemo may be more of a challenge as tropical coral reefs fight to survive assaults by their most formidable foes: humans. According to a major report released today, the Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2004, pressures on reefs from natural predators appear to have stabilized, but human encroachments have escalated, vividly degrading ocean floor topography around the world.

  December 06, 2004

• Global Assessment of Corals Finds Bad News, Good News, Looming Threats

  Washington - About 20 percent of the world's coral reefs are so damaged they are beyond repair, finds a new global assessment of the state of coral reefs released today at the WWF headquarters in Washington, D.C. The damaged reefs no longer provide fish for people or attractions for tourists. At the same time the percentage of reefs recovering from past damage has risen but half of the world's reefs are threatened with destruction, the assessment found. All told, 70 percent of the world's reefs are threatened or destroyed, up from 59 percent four years ago. Climate change, runoff pollution and destructive fishing methods pose the greatest threats to reefs. The Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2004 involved 240 scientists from 96 countries in the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.

  December 06, 2004

• Power Companies Fail To Chart Clear Course To Combat Climate Change

  Washington, DC - Despite their role as the biggest contributors to climate change, a new report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reveals that the planet's largest power companies are failing to make use of available technologies to address the threat that climate change poses to the environment. Ranking Power, a new WWF report, documents the overall failure of major power sector companies around the world to significantly invest in renewable and efficient energy in order to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Almost two thirds of the companies evaluated received a score of less than one out of a possible ten for their response to global warming, with more than 90% rating below three. Rankings are based on the companies' current use of available technologies to reduce CO2 emissions, as well as clear commitments they have made for future improvements.

  November 30, 2004

• WWF Applauds First Global Forum to End Sea Turtle Bycatch Fatalities

  (Bangkok, Thailand) -- As government, fishing industry and conservation leaders meet in Bangkok for the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Technical Consultation on Sea Turtle Conservation and Fisheries, from November 29 to December 2, 2004, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) called on participants today to combine eastern and western Pacific resources to reverse the dramatic decline of the loggerhead turtles and the near-extinction of giant leatherbacks.

  November 29, 2004

• WWF, TRAFFIC Applaud New York City Law as First of Its Kind To Crack Down on Illegal Sales of Endangered Species

  Washington - New York City today became the first municipality in the United States to approve a law making it illegal to buy or sell products containing, or advertised as containing, endangered species.

  November 23, 2004

• WWF and National Geographic Kick Off Study of the World's Largest Freshwater Fish

  A groundbreaking scientific adventure to find the world's largest freshwater fish starts today on the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. Led by World Wildlife Fund science fellow Dr. Zeb Hogan, the project will explore rivers and lakes around the world for fish such as the Mekong giant catfish, which is listed by The Guinness Book of World Records as the Earth's largest freshwater fish. Some grow to 10 feet in length and more than 600 pounds. Scientists believe that larger species exist. Hogan will work with a network of more than 100 scientists in 17 countries to investigate these fish and find out why their numbers are declining.

  November 17, 2004

• Illegal Tuna Fishing and Farming Leads to Demise of Species

  New Orleans - In advance of a critical meeting of government and industry leaders on the fate of vulnerable Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today called on participants to make urgent, far-reaching moves to end mismanagement and stop illegal fishing and farming methods used to produce tuna to meet growing consumer demands from the United States, China, Japan and Korea.

  November 11, 2004

• Scientific Assessment Confirms Arctic in Crisis from Global Warming

  WASHINGTON - The scientific findings announced today by the Arctic Climate Impacts Assessment depict an Arctic already in crisis due to human-induced global warming with worldwide ramifications, according to World Wildlife Fund.

  November 08, 2004

• IFC and WWF to Enhance Sustainable Forestry Trade

  Washington, DC. - The International Finance Corporation's Latin America and Caribbean Small and Medium Enterprise Facility (LAC SME Facility), and the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Latin American branch of the Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN) are teaming up to develop environmentally responsible wood trade in Latin America, with a special focus on Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru.

  October 28, 2004

• Russian Duma Approval of Kyoto Sets Historic Change in Motion

  WASHINGTON - "History was made in Moscow today as the Russian Duma approved the Kyoto Protocol, clearing the way for its now all but certain ratification and launching the first global effort to address global warming, the most serious environmental threat of our time.

  October 22, 2004

• International Judges Join Competition For Fishing Gear that Reduces Wildlife Deaths

  Washington - Several new distinguished fisheries experts from around the world have joined the panel of judges for the International Smart Gear Competition, an unprecedented coalition of fishermen, scientists and conservation groups looking for fishing gear designs that reduce wildlife deaths.

  October 21, 2004

• WWF Report Warns of Looming 'Budget Deficit' with Nature

  WASHINGTON - People are consuming the earth's natural resources 20 percent faster than nature can renew them--a dangerous imbalance that is fueling the loss of species and may lead to critical resource shortages in the years ahead, according to a World Wildlife Fund study released on Thursday.

  October 21, 2004

• Bad Blood? WWF Reveals EU Lawmakers' Chemical Contamination

  Washington, DC -- Ministers from 13 European Union countries are contaminated with dozens of industrial chemicals according to results of blood tests released today by World Wildlife Fund. Fourteen Environment and Health Ministers were tested in June 2004 for a variety of chemicals that can negatively impact wildlife and human health.

  October 19, 2004

• WWF: Big Wins for Conservation at CITES

  Bangkok - This year's meeting of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) has achieved significant results for conservation, with the adoption of better trade controls to protect African elephants, great white sharks and other threatened species.

  October 14, 2004

• Great White Sharks Win International Protection From Ultimate Predator: Humans

  Bangkok - The world's most-feared shark received international protection from human predators here today when the international community approved trade controls on great white sharks and shark parts at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

  October 12, 2004

• Prairie Dog Poisoning Begins on Federal Land in South Dakota

  Bozeman - Federal officials began dispersing poison on public land today aimed at killing prairie dogs, the primary food source for black-footed ferrets, the most endangered mammal in North America. The poisoning is taking place in and around the only successful ferret reintroduction site in the world. The effort is being undertaken on behalf of ranchers whose cattle compete with prairie dogs for grass in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland east of Rapid City.

  October 11, 2004

• WWF Reaction to CITES Decisions on Ivory Trade

  Bangkok - Members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species completed discussions on elephants and ivory trade Monday, rejecting proposals to reopen commercial ivory trade and adopting an action plan to crack down on unregulated domestic ivory markets across Africa.

  October 11, 2004

• Irrawaddy Dolphins Gain Trade Protection Under CITES; WWF Urges Countries to Stop All Live Captures

  Bangkok - The international community today voted to prohibit commercial trade of critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins, concluding they are so rare that any trade for aquariums and dolphinaria is a threat to the species.

  October 08, 2004

• Plan for African Ivory Markets a Victory for Elephants

  Bangkok - World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC applaud African countries who today announced a continent-wide action plan to crack down on their domestic ivory markets, calling it a major victory for elephant conservation.

  October 08, 2004

• Russian Ministers' Approval of Kyoto Climate Treaty Isolates US Inaction on Global Warming says World Wildlife Fund

  WASHINGTON - Russian ministers today approved ratification of the Kyoto Protocol to curb global warming leaving the United States isolated in its continued inaction on the problem, according to World Wildlife Fund.

  September 30, 2004

• Asian Species at Risk from Global Trade - WWF

  Washington, D.C. - Overexploitation and uncontrolled trade are ravaging Asia's forests, rivers and seas according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The warning comes ahead of the meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which begins in Bangkok on Saturday. It is the first time that the CITES meeting is being held in Southeast Asia and three Asian species -- ramin, a tropical hardwood, humphead wrasse, a giant coral reef fish, and the Irrawaddy dolphin are high on the agenda for discussion.

  September 28, 2004

• Investigation Reveals Major U.S. Ivory Market

  Washington - Fifteen years after a global ban on elephant ivory trade went into effect, the United States remains a major market for ivory, with American consumers at home and abroad fueling the demand, a TRAFFIC investigation finds.

  September 23, 2004

• Russia a Step Closer to Ratifying Kyoto says WWF

  WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund has learned that Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed key ministers to sign the Kyoto ratification documents. Putin's move follows a meeting between the president and a group of close advisors last week. Once the ministers have signed the documents, the package will be presented to the Russian parliament. The parliament could ratify the Kyoto Protocol within the next few weeks.

  September 22, 2004

• Park Management Pledges Emissions Reduction to Save Wildlife and Wild Spaces from Global Warming

  WASHINGTON - Xanterra Parks & Resorts, the country's largest park and resort management company, Center for Energy and Climate Solutions, and World Wildlife Fund today announced Xanterra's commitment to cut its heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions as part of WWF's Climate Savers initiative.

  September 22, 2004

• Illegal Ivory Trade on the Rise, Global Analysis Finds

  Washington - Demand in Africa and Asia continues to drive an increase in illegal trade of elephant ivory, an analysis of global seizure records finds. At least 4,000 elephants a year are being killed to supply the global demand for ivory carvings, jewelry and other products, experts estimate.

  September 16, 2004

• More Scientific Evidence that Polar Bears are Affected by Toxic Chemicals

  Washington, DC - Three new scientific studies provide strong indications that toxic contamination of polar bears is correlated to negative health impacts. This research contributes to the ever-growing evidence of the dangers toxic chemicals pose to wildlife and people, according to World Wildlife Fund.

  September 13, 2004

• WWF Announces '10 Most Wanted Species'

  Washington - The humphead wrasse and the pig-nosed turtle may not sound like the world's most desirable animals, but in fact they are among the most wanted species internationally. The Asian turtle and fish are so sought-after in some parts of the world that the two species have joined the ranks of wildlife at risk from international trade.

  September 08, 2004

• Environmental Organizations Support Reauthorization of the Tropical Forest Conservation Act

  Washington, D.C. - The House of Representatives today passed HR 4654 by a unanimous vote, reauthorizing the Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA) of 1998 for another three years. Over that period the bill authorizes appropriations of $75 million. Since 1998 TFCA has funded conservation activities on more than 8,000 square miles of forest in developing countries, an area larger than New Jersey, and wiped out millions of dollars in debt.

  September 07, 2004

• AEP Report Indicates Largest Carbon Emitter Recognizes Future Carbon Limits Imminent, says WWF

  WASHINGTON - "As AEP's statement makes clear, the current uncertainty about U.S. policy on climate change is a handicap in making long-term investment decisions. Companies are left to guess whether they have invested too little or too much on technologies that will help them meet potential future regulatory burdens. It is time for Congress to pass national legislation that will reduce heat-trapping gas concentrations to a safe level. This will not only meet our legal obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, it will give companies the clarity they need to make wise investment decisions.

  September 01, 2004

• New Climate Change Report To Congress Should Spur Action

  Washington - "The Bush Administration's long over-due admission, in a new report to Congress, that global warming both exists and poses risks to people and the environment is a welcome step in the right direction. But belated recognition of a long-established scientific consensus on human-caused warming only helps if it leads to solutions."

  August 26, 2004

• U.S. Senators Visit Arctic, Investigate Climate Change

  Washington - A high-level delegation, including Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz. and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has visited the Arctic island of Svalbard to learn about the Arctic's changing climate and be briefed on the forthcoming Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. This international project of the Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee will be released in November. It is the first comprehensive peer-reviewed scientific assessment of current and projected climate change in the Arctic.

  August 24, 2004

• WWF Urges World Bank to Take Lead in Promoting Clean and Sustainable Energy Use

  WASHINGTON - The World Bank's decision to reject the recommendations of its own Extractive Industries Review process in favor of a business-as-usual approach towards oil and coal industry investments is a profound disappointment that will do little to alleviate poverty or meet the long-term energy needs of developing countries, World Wildlife Fund said Tuesday.

  August 04, 2004

• Forest Makes Coffee Farm $62,000 Richer, WWF Researcher Finds

  Washington - Seven percent of a Costa Rican coffee farm's annual income - $62,000 - comes directly from the pollination "services" of adjacent tropical forest, according to a new study appearing today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study is the first to quantify in such detail the economic value of pollination services from tropical forests.

  August 02, 2004

• Musk Deer Under Threat In Russia and Mongolia

  WASHINGTON - Musk deer populations in parts of Russia and Mongolia are in rapid decline as a result of poaching for musk pods, according to a new report released today by TRAFFIC, the world's leading wildlife trade monitoring network, and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Highly valued for its use in traditional medicine, musk derives from male musk deer and is one of the most expensive natural products with a retail value three to five times higher than that of gold.

  July 15, 2004

• Marine Turtle Conservation Legislation Signed into Law WWF and The Ocean Conservancy Praise Unanimous Support of Act

  Washington - World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and The Ocean Conservancy (TOC) today praised the unanimous support of both houses and the subsequent White House endorsement of the Marine Turtle Conservation Act, which will authorize up to $5 million a year for projects to safeguard and conserve marine turtles and their nesting habitats in foreign countries.

  July 07, 2004

• Ty Beanie Babies® Support World Wildlife Fund's Efforts to Save Pandas and Other Animals

  Washington, DC - Ty Inc. (Ty) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are proud to announce an innovative and exciting partnership to help save endangered species through an exclusive on-line Beanie Babies® limited edition collection. Beginning this year, Ty will offer a series of WWF co-branded Beanie Babies on-line, with a percentage of sales benefiting WWF's conservation work around the world.

  July 06, 2004

• National Park of 'Gorillas in the Mist' Fame Victim of Severe Illegal Forest Clearing

  WASHINGTON - Over the last two months, nearly 4,000 acres of prime mountain gorilla habitat has been cleared by illegal settlers in Africa's Virunga National Park, a World Heritage Site and site of Dian Fossey's groundbreaking gorilla research. World Wildlife Fund is calling on government officials there to take immediate action to protect the park. The settlements were uncovered by the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature, which found that since April, thousands of people from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have destroyed large tracts of the park to create agricultural and pastoral land.

  July 06, 2004

• Great News for Great Barrier Reef: Historic Zoning Laws Will Now Protect 42,000 Square Miles

  Washington, D.C. - All commercial and recreational fishing boats were banned today from huge sections of Australia's Great Barrier Reef marine park as a new zoning plan went into effect. The protection plan now covers one-third of the marine park, officially making it the world's largest marine protected area.

  June 30, 2004

• Conservation Organizations Support Reauthorization of the Tropical Forest Conservation Act

  Washington, DC -- Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund and the Wildlife Conservation Society praise the House of Representatives International Relations committee for passing the reauthorization of the Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA) of 1998 last week.

  June 29, 2004

• World Wildlife Fund and Conservation Biology Institute Release Report on Reducing Fire Risks To Rural Communities

  Ashland, Ore. -- Scientists from the World Wildlife Fund (Ashland, OR) and Conservation Biology Institute (Corvallis, Oregon) released a new report today that outlines a comprehensive wildfire preparation plan for the Illinois river basin and the Biscuit fire area of southwest Oregon. The most important finding of the report is that the highest priority for fuel treatments is in and around the towns of Cave Junction and Selma, Oregon, not in the backcountry of the Biscuit fire area that the Forest Service is currently focusing on.

  June 28, 2004

• New Estimates Indicate Endangered African Black Rhinos Increasing in Numbers

  Washington -- Africa's critically endangered black rhinoceros could be on its way to recovery if present trends continue, according to new estimates announced by the African Rhino Specialist Group (AfRSG) of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and World Wildlife Fund. Africa's white rhinoceros also appears stable at much higher numbers than the black rhino.

  June 24, 2004

• Nature: WWF, NASA Map Human Consumption of Earth's Resources

  Washington - World Wildlife Fund scientists, working with scientists from NASA and other institutions, have produced a unique map of human consumption of the Earth's biological resources -- everything from wood and paper to meat and grains. The research appears in today's Nature.

  June 23, 2004

• WWF Applauds House Passage of Marine Turtle Conservation Legislation

  Washington -- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today commended passage of the Marine Turtle Conservation Act by the House of Representatives. The bill, H.R. 3378, will authorize up to $5 million a year for projects to conserve marine turtles and their nesting habitats in foreign countries. The Senate passed its version of the bill, S. 1210, in November.

  June 15, 2004

• WWF Supports Newly Issued Recommendation for Certification of Alaska's Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Pollock Fishery

  The following statement was issued today by World Wildlife Fund (WWF)'s Marine Conservation program director Scott Burns, following issuance of Scientific Certification System's final report and recommendations that the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands pollock fishery be certified, after a scientific team found it in compliance with the Marine Stewardship Council's standards for a sustainable and well-managed fishery.

  June 15, 2004

• What Americans and Europeans Spend on Ice Cream: $31 Billion Global Cost of Creating Marine Parks to Protect the Oceans: $12-14 Billion

  (Washington, D.C.) -- Establishing a global network of marine parks, critical to restoring the health of the oceans and sustaining fishing industries, would cost the global community some $12-14 billion per year, says a study by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The findings were published today in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

  June 14, 2004

• Census of China's Giant Pandas Finds Over 40 Percent More Pandas Than Previous Estimates

  Beijing, China - The most comprehensive survey of the giant panda population ever undertaken has found almost 1,600 pandas in the wild, nearly 50 percent more than were previously known to exist. The findings come from a four-year-long study of pandas and their habitat, done jointly by the State Forestry Administration of China and World Wildlife Fund.

  June 09, 2004

• Colossal Cold-Water Coral Discovery Heightens Concerns about Inadequate Protections

  Washington, DC -- New findings released today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) highlight the discovery that cold-water corals, many located in hard-to-reach deep waters, are far more widespread and numerous than previously thought, increasing their vulnerability to a variety of threats. Destructive fishing practices, like deep-sea trawling, are cited among the problems plaguing these coastal ecosystems.

  June 04, 2004

• WWF Helps Set Up Amazon Trust Fund; Goal is Protection of Area Bigger than US Parks System Over Next 10 Years

  BRASILIA, Brazil -- World Wildlife Fund announced the creation Thursday of a permanent, multi-million dollar endowment to fund conservation efforts in the Brazilian Amazon in partnership with the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility and the government of Brazil.

  June 03, 2004

• 20-Year Anniversary Leaves Little Cause for Celebration

  Washington, D.C. -- On the eve of a pivotal meeting in Iceland, fisheries experts called Thursday for critical new measures to stem an alarming decline in wild Atlantic salmon stocks, which have plummeted 50 percent over the past two decades. The urgent call to strengthen the enforcement of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) comes as that body is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

  June 03, 2004

• World Wildlife Fund Reacts to Forest Service Plans for Burned Areas in the Klamath-Siskiyou National Forest

  Ashland, OR. - The U.S. Forest Service's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which calls for the logging of more than 370 million board feet in areas damaged by the 2002 Biscuit Fire, does little to prevent property loss resulting from forest fires and will not provide enough economic or ecological benefits to justify the decision.

  June 01, 2004

• New Online Effort Gives People the Opportunity to Become Real Action Heroes Against Global Warming

  WASHINGTON -- As summer heats up and a new Hollywood special effects thriller involving global warming hits movie theaters Memorial Day weekend, World Wildlife Fund has teamed up with eleven other environmental groups and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream to launch a new online effort to give approximately one million people the opportunity to become real action heroes against global warming.

  May 28, 2004

• Sea Turtles Worth More Alive Than Dead, Says WWF

  Washington, D.C. -- Marine turtle tourism brings in almost three times as much money as the sale of turtle products according to a new economic study by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Money Talks: Economic Aspects of Marine Turtle Use and Conservation. (PDF format, 2.68M) The report shows that worldwide declines in sea turtle populations jeopardize jobs, tourism and coastal economies, especially in developing countries, two thirds of which have sea turtles.

  May 24, 2004

• Putin Voices Clear Support for Russian Ratification of the Kyoto Climate Treaty

  WASHINGTON- World Wildlife Fund welcomes President Putin's first clear statement in support of Russian ratification of the Kyoto Protocol today and urged him to advise the Duma to begin the necessary procedures to finalize ratification as soon as possible.

  May 21, 2004

• Undercover Investigation: Illegal Sales of Endangered Species Up in New York, Down in San Francisco

  New York -- An undercover survey of traditional Chinese medicine shops in New York City and San Francisco found illegal products widely available made from endangered species, including tigers, rhinos, leopards and musk deer.

  May 18, 2004

• Landmark Toxics Treaty Becomes International Law

  Washington, DC -- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said today that the entry into force on May 17th of the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) will significantly reduce toxic threats to wildlife and people throughout the world.

  May 17, 2004

• No More Cod in 15 Years, WWF Report Warns

  Washington, D.C. -- A new World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report shows that global cod catch has suffered a 70 percent drop over the last 30 years, a trend that could cause the world's cod stocks to disappear in 15 years. Despite the dramatic collapse of North American cod populations in the mid-1990's signaling damaging overfishing of the species, fishing management on the far side of the North Atlantic has not changed, causing significant long-term costs to the marine environment and to local economies.

  May 13, 2004

• International Protections for Seahorses Take Effect May 15

  Vancouver -- A monogamous lifestyle and male pregnancy aren't the only things that distinguish seahorses from other marine life. Starting May 15, international trade rules kick in for seahorses -- making them one of the first commercially valuable marine species to be protected by the world's largest wildlife treaty.

  May 12, 2004

• WWF Says Polar Bear Mothers and Cubs Faced with Global Warming Need Help

  WASHINGTON -- As mothers are honored across the United States on Mother's Day, World Wildlife Fund wants people to help some of most famously devoted mothers of the wild world, polar bear mothers and their cubs.

  May 07, 2004

• Scientists, Industry, Conservationists Launch Competition for Fishing Gear that Reduces Wildlife Deaths

  Vancouver -- An unprecedented coalition of fishermen, scientists and conservation groups announced the launch of the International Smart Gear Competition today. The contest seeks innovative fishing gear that reduces bycatch -- the accidental deaths of marine mammals, birds, sea turtles and non-target fish species.

  May 03, 2004

• Certification of Mexican Lobster Fishery is Win for Environment and Lobster Fishermen

  Mexico City -- Consumers and institutional suppliers have a new and important opportunity to support sustainable fishing practices in the developing world thanks to the newly announced Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of the Baja California Peninsula spiny lobster fishery. The federation of fishing cooperatives (FEDECOOP) on the Pacific coast of Mexico is the first community fishery of a developing country to win MSC certification, passing the rigorous, independent review for compliance with global criteria for sustainable and well-managed fisheries.

  April 28, 2004

• Colombia Debt Swap Yields $10 million For Tropical Forest Conservation

  Bogota, Colombia - Colombia unveiled today a debt-for-nature swap with the United States that will allow it to invest at least $10 million over the next 12 years to protect nearly 11 million acres of its tropical forests. Under the agreement, the U.S. Department of the Treasury will contribute $7 million to the deal, while Conservation International's (CI) Global Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy and (World Wildlife Fund) WWF will contribute an additional $1.4 million.

  April 23, 2004

• Report Documents Decades of Broken Promises on Water

  New York - As the world's governments meet in New York the at the 12th session of the Commission for Sustainable Development to discuss water issues, a new report shows that little progress has been made towards improving water and sanitation. Despite decades of promises to improve water and sanitation, 1.1 billion people still do not have access to clean drinking water, and 2.4 billion people do not have access to proper sanitation. The meeting, taking place this week and next, is the first since the Word Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, when countries pledged to halve the percentage of people without access to drinking water or to basic sanitation by 2015.

  April 22, 2004

• WWF Chemical Testing Reveals Contamination of European Lawmakers

  Washington, DC -- Lawmakers from across Europe are contaminated with a cocktail of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals according to results of a WWF-organized blood testing program released today.

  April 21, 2004

• WWF Lauds Ocean Commission Report; Urges Swift Implementation

  WASHINGTON -- William K. Reilly, chairman of the board of directors of World Wildlife Fund, issued the following statement today in response to the release of the preliminary report by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy:

  April 20, 2004

• World Wildlife Fund and The Coca-Cola Company Collaborate to Advance Freshwater Conservation

  WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund today announced a $2.05 million leadership grant from The Coca-Cola Company to support its freshwater conservation work and fund cutting-edge research into freshwater biodiversity around the world.

  April 16, 2004

• WWF and the Fairmont Join Neighborhood School for Spruce Up

  WASHINGTON, DC - World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Fairmont, Washington, D.C., have joined forces to help students at Francis Junior High School learn about plants and gardening.

  April 15, 2004

• Raise 'Pennies for the Planet' on Earth Day

  Washington -- Got some spare change for wildlife? Working with WWF's "Pennies for the Planet" campaign is the perfect activity for Earth Day (April 22). Hundreds of kids have already participated in the campaign this year, raising $15,000 in the past 5 months alone, while learning about wildlife and wild places.

  April 12, 2004

• Reopening of Hawaiian Fishery Lays Groundwork for Far-reaching Sea Turtle Protection

  Honolulu, Hawaii -- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today joined the Blue Ocean Institute in voicing support for NOAA's conditional re-opening of the Hawaii longline swordfish fishery. The fishery will employ new measures to control unnecessary sea turtle fatalities.

  March 31, 2004

• Historic Bill to Limit Carbon Dioxide Pollution Reveals Need for US Action on Global Warming

  WASHINGTON -- "Today's announcement of House legislation to limit heat-trapping carbon dioxide pollution reflects building momentum in the United States for responsible action to address global warming."

  March 30, 2004

• WWF Voices Support for Marine Turtle Conservation Legislation at House Committee Hearing

  Washington - In testimony today before the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation of the House Resources Committee, World Wildlife Fund strongly supported passage of the Marine Turtle Conservation Act. The bill, H.R. 3378, would authorize up to $5 million a year for projects to conserve marine turtles and their nesting habitats in foreign countries. A similar measure has already passed the Senate.

  March 25, 2004

• Sumatran Tiger on Brink of Extinction

  Washington - The critically endangered Sumatran tiger could be the first large predator to go extinct in the 21st century if poaching and widespread illegal trade are not stopped, according to TRAFFIC and World Wildlife Fund.

  March 16, 2004

• WWF Scientist to Provide Testimony in Senate Committee Hearing on the Impacts of Climate Change

  Who: Dr. Lara Hansen, chief scientist, Climate Change Program, World Wildlife Fund will testify before the full committee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. What: The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation is conducting an oversight hearing on the impacts of climate change. Dr. Hansen's testimony will cover the impacts of climate change on biodiversity with a focus on the impact of climate change on corals and coral reef ecosystems. She will draw on her expertise and research in the field as well as WWF's work in ecoregions around the world. When: 9:30 a.m. ET, Wednesday, March 3, 2004 Where: SR 253, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC Details: Testimony will be posted on WWF Web site on March 3, 2004

  Read Dr. Hansen's testimony (PDF format - 84k)

  March 02, 2004

• Siege Shuts Down Park; Threatens Galapagos Wildlife

  WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund called on the Ecuadorian government Thursday to end a week-long siege of the national park and a scientific research facility on the Galapagos Islands peacefully -- but without weakening existing environmental rules critical to both the ecological survival of the archipelago and the long-term health of its local fishing industry.

  February 26, 2004

• Switching to Clean Energy Will Stop Great Barrier Reef Destruction from Global Warming, Says WWF

  WASHINGTON - A new World Wildlife Fund report shows that the corals of the Great Barrier Reef may continue to degrade over the coming decades if the world fails to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by rapidly switching to clean, renewable energy sources and limiting CO2 emissions.

  February 24, 2004

• Galàpagos Fishermen's Siege Raises Environmental Questions

  WWF experts offer insight on stakes and options for resolution

  February 24, 2004

• WWF Calls on U.S. Retailers to Demand Paper Giant APP Stop Unsustainable Logging

  Washington - World Wildlife Fund today called on U.S. retail customers of Asia Pulp and Paper, one of the world's largest paper companies, to demand that the company stop unsustainable logging operations. APP and its affiliates are clearcutting one of the world's most biodiverse and threatened forests in Indonesia, WWF said.

  February 20, 2004

• Landmark Toxics Treaty to Become Law

  Washington, DC - World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today applauds France and other countries that have joined the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), a historic treaty that will significantly reduce toxic threats to wildlife and people throughout the world. France became a party on February 17, 2004, triggering a 90-day countdown for the treaty to become binding international law.

  February 18, 2004

• Indonesia to Protect Top Nesting Site for Critically Endangered Turtles

  Washington, DC - The most important nesting site in the Pacific for the critically endangered leatherback marine turtle will be protected, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said today. A pledge to create a crucial marine protected area in the north coast of Papua to include this site was announced by the Government of Indonesia during the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

  February 17, 2004

• WWF Efforts Yield Two New National Parks in Indonesia

  Washington - WWF's partnership with the Indonesian government to protect the most biologically diverse forests in the world - the last remaining lowland forests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra - will result in two new national parks. A timber company agreed to retire its logging rights on some of the land that will be used for the parks, and research and advocacy by WWF field staff helped the government decide to create the parks, which are critical habitat for endangered elephants, tigers and orangutans.

  February 12, 2004

• Five Power Companies Answer WWF Challenge to Commit to Clean Energy and Limits on Carbon Dioxide

  WASHINGTON - Five electric power companies from across the United States today answered a challenge from World Wildlife Fund to become the first U.S. power companies to support a mandatory cap on heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions and confirm their commitment to clean energy.

  February 11, 2004

• WWF, WCS and CI Applaud Passage of Congo Basin Forest Partnership Act

  Washington, DC - The Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Conservation International (CI), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) applaud Congress for passing the Congo Basin Forest Partnership Act (CBFP) [H.R. 2264], which cleared the House Tuesday with strong, bipartisan support. WCS, CI, and WWF now call on President Bush to sign the Act into law.

  February 09, 2004

• WWF: Citigroup, World Bank to Fund 'Disaster in Waiting'

  WASHINGTON -- Decisions by Citigroup and the World Bank to underwrite the construction of an oil pipeline across some of the most ecologically sensitive wetlands and mountains in the Caucasus raise serious questions about the professed commitments of both institutions to protecting the environment, World Wildlife Fund said today.

  February 09, 2004

• World Wildlife Fund and Ricoh Corporation Sign Agreement to Advance Forest Conservation in Mexico

  Washington, DC - World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today announced its agreement with Ricoh Corporation, the leading provider of digital office equipment, to advance forest conservation in Mexico's Sierra Tarahumara.

  February 04, 2004

• Up To 26 Times More Fish Found on Reefs Near Mangrove Forests, New Nature Study Shows

  WASHINGTON, DC - A study to be published tomorrow in the journal Nature has found the strongest link to date between the productivity of coral reef fisheries and the health of nearby mangrove forests. The study compared the numbers and amount of fish on reefs near mangrove forests to reefs far from any mangroves. One species, blue striped grunt, was found to be 26 times - or 2667 percent - more abundant on reefs near healthy mangroves, measured in total biomass.

  February 04, 2004

• New WWF Report Finds Wildlife and Humans at Risk from Commonly Used Chemicals

  Washington, DC - Seals, whales, falcons, and polar bears are among a range of wildlife at risk from chemicals used in common consumer products, according to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) analysis of recent scientific evidence on contamination of wildlife and people.

  January 29, 2004

• Number of Endangered Mountain Gorillas Tops 700, New Census Finds

  Washington DC - Despite years of civil war and chaos across their range, the highly endangered mountain gorillas of "Gorillas in the Mist" fame are on the increase, with a population of at least 700, a new count finds.

  January 26, 2004

• Finding that Global Warming Threatens Over One Million Species Underscores Urgent Need for Action

  WASHINGTON - A new scientific study in Nature predicting over one million species could die out due to global warming is an urgent message to reduce the heat-trapping gases emitted by dirty energy sources, according to World Wildlife Fund. It confirms the findings of previous WWF reports.

  January 08, 2004

• Think You Know the World's Cutest Animal? Cast Your Vote Online and See if Your Favorite Wins

  Washington, DC - World Wildlife Fund (WWF) knows conservation science. World Wildlife Fund knows the environment. But do the experts at World Wildlife Fund know cute?

  January 08, 2004

• Government and Industry Team Together to Help Save Sea Turtles

  Statement by Scott Burns, Director of WWF's Marine Conservation Program to the National Press Club, January 5, 2004 regarding the development of turtle-friendly devices and new fishing methods for commercial longline vessels.

  January 06, 2004