World Wildlife Fund

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• WWF Wildfinder Yields New Light on Global Species Diversity

  Washington -- Conservationists have long debated whether it is more effective to focus on areas with many unique (endemic) species or on areas with many species overall. A paper authored by scientists from WWF and the University of Virginia and published today in the journal Nature, sheds new light on this debate, finding that conserving places with many endemic species will also conserve overall species richness.

  December 28, 2005

• School Children Raise Money and Awareness of Amazon

  Fifteen students representing grades three through six at Spring Hill Elementary School in McLean, Virginia, on Dec. 13 joined Amazon experts from World Wildlife Fund, the World Bank, and the Brazilian government to discuss the theme of conservation and the Amazon.

  December 27, 2005

• Major Victory for the Arctic Refuge

  Thanks to support from World Wildlife Fund activists, the U.S. Senate voted on Dec. 21, 2005, to strip a provision allowing oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from an unrelated bill appropriating funding to the Defense Department. Republican Sens. Mike DeWine (Ohio) and Lincoln Chafee (R.I.), as well as Independent Jim Jeffords (Vt.), voted with the majority of Democratic senators to achieve this big win. Only four Democratic senators voted wrong: Mary Landrieu (La.), Daniel Inouye (Hawaii) Ben Nelson (Nebr.), and Daniel Akaka (Hawaii.). Efforts in Congress to open the refuge to drilling in 2005 appear to be over, but the issue may return in 2006.

  December 22, 2005

• WWF introduces new PSA

  World Wildlife Fund this week introduced its new Public Service Advertising (PSA) campaign titled "People and Places."

  December 19, 2005

• WWF Peeks into Mysterious Life of Borneo's Pygmy Elephants

  Washington -- The same satellite system used by the U.S. military to track vehicle convoys in Iraq is helping World Wildlife Fund shed light on the little-known world of pygmy elephants in Borneo.

  December 16, 2005

• One Year After the Tsunami: Building Back the Right Way

  One year after the Southeast Asian tsunami, reconstruction is finally under way. But some of the hardest hit areas risk sowing the seeds of future disasters unless donor countries include sustainably sourced building materials in their long-term aid packages, according to experts from the World Wildlife Fund.

  December 15, 2005

• Alliance Study Pinpoints Epicenters of Earth's Imminent Extinctions

  Washington, D.C. - Safeguarding 595 sites around the world would help stave off an imminent global extinction crisis, according to new research published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (www.pnas.org).

  December 13, 2005

• 2005 a Record Year for Climate Change

  A World Wildlife Fund report released last week said that 2005 is on track to be the warmest year on record, surpassing the record set in the 1998 El Niño year. By October of this year, NASA reported that the global average temperature was already 0.06ºC (0.1ºF) warmer than 1998.

  December 13, 2005

• December 2005 Marks 25th Anniversary of Wild Panda Conservation

  WASHINGTON - December marks the 25th anniversary of wild panda conservation by World Wildlife Fund and China. On December 23, 1980, World Wildlife Fund and Chinese researchers headed into the cold mountains of southwestern China to conduct the first-ever intensive research program on wild pandas, their habitat and their behavior. A quarter century of work moved giant pandas from the brink of extinction to a solid foundation for survival if conservation efforts continue.

  December 05, 2005

• Hot, hungry and gasping for air - climate change puts fish at risk, warns WWF

  A week ahead of a key Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol in Montreal, Canada, the global conservation organization's report " Are we putting our fish in hot water? " shows that global warming is causing the world's waters to warm while rainfall patterns, currents and sea levels are changing.

  December 02, 2005

• World Wildlife Fund Launches 2006 Competition for Fishing Gear that Reduce Accidental Marine Life Deaths

  WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund today announced the launch of the second WWF International Smart Gear Competition. The contest seeks innovative fishing gear that reduces marine bycatch-the accidental catch and related deaths of marine mammals, birds, sea turtles and non-target fish species in fishing gear such as nets and longlines.

  November 29, 2005

• Do Your Holiday Shopping In One Step - and Protect Some of the World's Most Beloved Animals

  Washington, DC - Looking for a great holiday gift idea? Ever think of adopting a panda, a polar bear or a snow leopard?

  November 23, 2005

• Pulp Mill Devastates Swans' Sanctuary In Chile

  SANTIAGO, Chile - A recently opened pulp mill in Chile has devastated one of South America's most biologically outstanding wetlands, decimating its famed population of black-necked swans, along with most other bird life, a WWF-led team of investigators said Monday.

  November 21, 2005

• Bison Released on Montana Plains - New Prairie Wildlife Reserve is Home to Conservation Herd of Bison

  American Prairie Foundation (APF), a Montana-based private land trust, working in cooperation with World Wildlife Fund, today released 16 bison on a portion of 32,000 acres of prairie it owns and leases south of Malta, Montana.

  November 17, 2005

• WWF Experts Available For Comment On Avian Flu, Bird Trade and Wildlife Impacts

  WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund has two experts available to discuss avian flu, the impact to wildlife and North American quarantine policies.

  November 03, 2005

• New species found in Fiji's Great Sea Reef, WWF survey reveals

  Washington - The first ever comprehensive survey of Fiji's largely uncharted Great Sea Reef, the world's third longest barrier reef, has revealed a staggering array of life, including a new species of reef fish, World Wildlife Fund announced today. 

  November 02, 2005

• Report Warning: Pirate Fishing Thrives under Flags of Convenience

  GENEVA - The pillaging of threatened fish stocks, human rights abuse and global pirate fishing operations worth more than a billion dollars are documented in a report sponsored by the Australian Government, the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and World Wildlife Fund.

  November 02, 2005

• Twelve New Protected Areas Named In World's Third Largest Rainforest

  The Papua New Guinea government today announced it will gazette twelve protected areas requested by local communities covering some of the most biologically diverse forests, wetlands and reefs on the planet at an event held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

  October 27, 2005

• Three South Pacific Nations Announce Plan to Protect World's Largest and Most Endangered Marine Turtle - the Pacific Leatherback

  Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon's Islands announced an agreement on October 26 to jointly develop a plan to protect Western Pacific Leatherback turtles, which migrate thousands of miles to feed in the waters off California.

  October 26, 2005

• Spiders, Snakes & Crocodiles - Oh, My! Cast Your Vote for the "World's Scariest Animal"

  Washington, DC -- Who wins the prize as the world's creepiest, crawliest critter this Halloween? Check out World Wildlife Fund's "World's Scariest Animal" and cast your vote for your personal favourite among the slipperiest, slimiest and scaliest creatures in the world.

  October 26, 2005

• WWF Panda Expert Available For Comment As National Zoo's Panda Cub is Named

  WASHINGTON - The head of World Wildlife Fund's panda conservation program is available to help journalists cover the naming and upcoming public debut of the baby panda at the National Zoo and to discuss the status of giant pandas in the wild.

  October 17, 2005

• Aspen, Annapolis, Major Paper Company Commit to Clean Energy and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions - IBM Reduces CO2 Emissions by More Than 1 Million Tons, Saving $115 Million

  WASHINGTON - The cities of Aspen and Annapolis, along with NorskeCanada (TSX:NS), a leading paper producer, have reached agreements with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Center for Energy & Climate Solutions (CECS) committing to significant actions that will reduce heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions. WWF and CECS also announced that IBM (NYSE:IBM), a participant in their Climate Savers program, has surpassed its reduction target and avoided more than 1.28 million tons of CO2 emissions since the 1998 base year of its Climate Savers goal, saving $115 million in reduced energy costs. These efforts are part of the growing trend of businesses, states and local communities taking direct action to address the challenge posed to nature and people by global warming.

  September 29, 2005

• WWF Applauds Potlatch Corporation for Commitment to Responsible Forestry

  "World Wildlife Fund applauds Potlatch Corporation for being a leader in responsible forest management in the U.S. With today's announcement that all 1.5 million acres of Potlatch forest land in Arkansas, Idaho, and Minnesota are now certified to the rigorous standards of the Forest Stewardship Council -- along with FSC certification for most of its processing facilities -- Potlatch joins a growing number of visionary forest products companies operating around the world. Through their corporate environmental policies and responsible forestry practices, these companies are demonstrating that responsible forestry can provide long-term, stable supplies of timber and access to markets for responsibly-produced forest products.

  September 01, 2005

• WWF and Coinstar, Inc. Announce New Promotion to Save Big Cats: Beanie Baby® with $15 Donation

  WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Coinstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR) today announced a two-month promotion to help save the world's big cats. Through September 30, individuals who donate $15 or more in coins through a participating Coinstar® Center will have the opportunity to receive Sundar^TM, a limited edition snow leopard Beanie Baby®. Sundar is one in a series of Beanie Babies® developed by Ty Inc. to benefit WWF.

  August 10, 2005

• Name that Elephant!

  Washington - World Wildlife Fund today invited elephant lovers to help name a Borneo pygmy elephant that will be part of the first study ever conducted on the pint-sized pachyderms.

  July 18, 2005

• Carter S. Roberts Becomes President and CEO of World Wildlife Fund

  Washington, DC - World Wildlife Fund announced today that Carter S. Roberts has become president and chief executive officer of the Washington-based World Wildlife Fund (WWF). He succeeds Kathryn S. Fuller, who stepped down after 16 years as WWF's president and CEO on June 30.

  July 11, 2005

• National Geographic, WWF Document World's Largest Living Freshwater Fish: 646-Pound Catfish Netted in Thailand

  Chiang Khong, Thailand - Fishermen in northern Thailand have netted a fish as big as a grizzly bear, a 646-pound Mekong giant catfish, the heaviest recorded since Thai officials started keeping records in 1981. The behemoth was caught in the Mekong River and may be the largest freshwater fish ever found.

  June 29, 2005

• World Wildlife Fund Praises Disney Decision to Drop Shark Fin Soup from the Menu

  "We applaud Disney for making the right decision to remove shark fin from their menu because of their commitment to conservation and responsible consumption," says Ginette Hemley, Vice President for Species Conservation. "Many shark populations are under attack by man. Despite their fierce reputation, sharks are preyed upon by humans for their meat, teeth and as the ultimate fishing trophy. Disney's action today helps pull sharks from the jaws of yet another threat."

  June 24, 2005

• Year-long Study Shows Circle Hooks Help Save Sea Turtles

  Washington, DC - Preliminary results from the first large-scale testing of specially designed fishing hooks are being presented at the annual meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission in Lanzarotte, Spain. Thus far, the results indicate they can reduce the number of endangered sea turtles killed in long line fishing operations by as much as 90 percent, World Wildlife Fund said today.

  June 23, 2005

• WWF Applauds Sens. Stevens, Inouye and Cantwell for Bill to Restore Oil Spill Trust Fund

  Washington - Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) have introduced legislation to replenish the federal trust fund that helps cover the costs of preventing and cleaning up oil spills. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund will be exhausted by 2009 if additional funds are not contributed to it according to a recent report from the U.S. Coast Guard. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund Maintenance Act of 2005 was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation which is chaired by Senator Stevens.

  June 15, 2005

• Leading Scientists Rank Endangered Dolphins, Porpoises Most In Need of Immediate Action

  Washington - Leading marine scientists for the first time have assessed dolphin and porpoise populations around the world which are severely threatened by entanglement in fishing gear and recommended nine urgent priorities for action in a report commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund. These nine projects highlight species threatened by bycatch that are the most likely to benefit from immediate action but are languishing without intervention.

  June 09, 2005

• WWF/World Bank Forest Alliance launches ambitious program to reduce deforestation and curb illegal logging

  New York - WWF and the World Bank (WB) today announced an ambitious global program aimed at reducing global deforestation rates by 10% by 2010. The announcement was made at the fifth meeting of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) both as a call to action for the international community and to mark the renewal of their cooperation agreement covering the Alliance for another five years. The present rate of global deforestation is more than 14 million hectares (about 54,000 square miles) per year, roughly equal to the size of Greece. Most of the losses occur in the tropics.

  May 25, 2005

• World Wildlife Fund Contributes $3.3 Million to Support Brazilian Protected Areas in the Amazon

  WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund today contributed U.S. $3.3 million dollars to secure long-term financial sustainability for the vast system of parks and sustainable use areas now being established in the Amazon by Brazil. Today's contribution by WWF will be matched by the Global Environment Facility, resulting in a total contribution of $6.6 million dollars. World Wildlife Fund also announced its intent to raise an additional $6.7 million dollars by June 2007 to further protect these vital areas in perpetuity.

  May 20, 2005

• U.S. Forest Products Industry, Environmental Organizations Create Unique Partnership for Tsunami Reconstruction

  Washington, D.C. - Two global conservation groups and the U.S. forest products industry have formed a unique partnership to help the tsunami-stricken people of Indonesia rebuild their lives without destroying the already threatened tropical forests of Sumatra.

  May 12, 2005

• World Wildlife Fund Applauds Potlatch Corporation for Commitment to Responsible Forestry

  "World Wildlife Fund applauds Potlatch Corporation for being a leader in responsible forest management in the U.S. With over a million acres of forestland in Arkansas and Idaho certified to the rigorous standards of the Forest Stewardship Council, Potlatch joins a growing number of visionary forest products companies operating globally. Through their corporate environmental policies and responsible forestry practices, these companies are demonstrating that responsible forestry can provide long-term, stable supplies of timber and access to markets for responsibly-produced forest products.

  May 04, 2005

• WWF Statement on Reports that Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Is Not Extinct

  Washington - Carter Roberts, president and CEO-elect of World Wildlife Fund, issued the following statement following reports that the ivory-billed woodpecker has been found in Arkansas, 60 years after it was believed to have gone extinct.

  April 28, 2005

• WWF Lists 20 Chemicals to Be Added to POPs Treaty

  Washington, DC - As delegates prepare for the first Conference of Parties of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), to be held next week in Uruguay, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today released a list of 20 chemicals that it recommends be added to the treaty.

  April 28, 2005

• Indonesia Adopts WWF Reconstruction Guidelines for Aceh

  JAKARTA, Indonesia - With a strong endorsement from Indonesian officials, World Wildlife Fund Tuesday unveiled a set of reconstruction guidelines designed to promote both the economic and environmental recovery of tsunami-ravaged Aceh province.

  April 26, 2005

• Fast-Disappearing 'Heart of Borneo' is Likely Home To Thousands of Species Still Undiscovered

  Washington - In the past decade, at least 361 new species have been discovered on Borneo, one of the most important centers of biodiversity in the world. And a new report by World Wildlife Fund finds that there are likely to be thousands of plant and animal species left to discover on the world's third-largest island.

  April 25, 2005

• New Solutions that Reduce the Accidental Death of Marine Life Reeled in by International Smart Gear Competition

  WASHINGTON - As the world prepared to observe Earth Day, World Wildlife Fund and its partners in the International Smart Gear Competition announced three new winning solutions to prevent the accidental maiming and killing of marine mammals, juvenile fish, and sea turtles that become ensnared by fishing nets and longlines - a problem known as bycatch - while also improving the efficiency of commercial fishing.

  April 21, 2005

• Nepal's Endangered Rhinos Down by One Third Since 2000

  Political instability leading to increased poaching, and a lack of adequate protection over the past five years, have drastically reduced Nepal's rhino population according to World Wildlife Fund.

  April 19, 2005

• Major New Protected Areas Established in Peruvian Amazon Reserves will Protect Wildlife While Safeguarding Indigenous Rights

  Washington, DC - The Peruvian Government today celebrates the creation of one of the largest combined indigenous reserves and protected areas in the world. Also, the government announces that a new commission will design a law to protect indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation in Peruvian Amazon territorial reserves.

  March 31, 2005

• World Wildlife Fund Calls on Governments, Private Sector, Consumers To Act on Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Findings

  Washington, DC - A new and unprecedented scientific study released today reinforces the need for governments, private sector, and broad international community action to protect natural systems for the sake of humanity, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

  March 30, 2005

• Inauguration Opens Nearly 150,000 Acres of Protected Chilean Rainforest to the Public for First Time

  Valdivia, Chile - A history of deforestation and neglect comes officially to a close for a vast stretch of some of the most threatened and biologically rich temperate rainforest in the world. Today's inauguration of the new Valdivian Coastal Reserve, 147,500 acres of coastal temperate rainforest in southern Chile, marks a major advance in overcoming an era of clearcutting and forest conversion in the area, and makes way for new public access and cooperation for local community development.

  March 22, 2005

• Caught on Film: WWF Captures Tiger, Tiger Bites Back

  Washington - It's rare to escape a tiger attack unscathed. But a hidden camera set up in the Indonesian jungle by World Wildlife Fund has captured a rare Sumatran tiger walking through the jungle and then assaulting the camera after the flash goes off. The camera survived the attack and even took an image from inside the tiger's mouth.

  March 15, 2005

• Help the Cats Behind the Mascots

  College students love their mascots. They paint images of mascots on their faces and bodies, wear them on their clothes, and stick them on their car windows. Now students are helping the wild animals that have inspired dozens of college mascots around the country: big cats. Across the United States, campus groups are getting involved in WWF's Pennies for the Planet campaign - which is raising money for and awareness about big cats - and WWF is inviting more groups to join in. Check out the campaign at www.worldwildlife.org/pennies.

  March 14, 2005

• WWF Hails 'Giant Step' Forward in Amazon Conservation

  BRASILIA-One of the world's most ambitious conservation efforts has taken a major step forward with the declaration of two new major protected areas, comprising 9.4 million acres of rain forest, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.

  February 18, 2005

• The Arctic is the chemical sink of the globe, says WWF

  Washington, DC - The Arctic and its wildlife are increasingly contaminated with chemicals and pollutants that were never produced or used in that region, warns World Wildlife Fund in a new report.

  February 17, 2005

• Shell Project May Doom Western Gray Whale to Extinction

  WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund called upon Royal Dutch Shell Wednesday to abide by the recommendations of an independent panel of renowned whale experts, which has warned that oil and gas activities in Russia's Far East may drive the critically endangered western gray whale into extinction.

  February 16, 2005

• Shell Must Heed Scientific Findings

  Washington, DC - An independent assessment of the impact of an oil and gas development in the Russian Far East on endangered gray whales must dictate the fate of current Shell operations, a proposed offshore platform and undersea pipeline, according to World Wildlife Fund. On the eve of the publication of the independent review, WWF is calling on Royal Dutch Shell and Japan's Mitsui and Mitsubishi to act immediately on any scientific findings concerning development activities in the sole feeding grounds of the critically endangered western gray whale.

  February 15, 2005

• World Wildlife Fund Calls for U.S. Action as World Celebrates Climate Change Treaty

  WASHINGTON - "As the world celebrates the launch of the first international agreement to protect our living planet from global warming, the United States shouldn't remain paralyzed by inaction--it can do its share by passing the bi-partisan Climate Stewardship Act now in Congress.

  February 11, 2005

• WWF Launches 2005 Pennies for the Planet Helping Big Cats for Just Pennies

  Washington - WWF's Pennies for the Planet campaign kicks off today with a new Web site, new educational activities, and a new focus on three endangered big cats: the snow leopard, the Amur leopard, and the Sumatran tiger. Last year, kids from 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada raised more than $72,000 for conservation through Pennies.

  February 09, 2005

• Africa's First Regionwide Conservation Treaty Signed at Historic Congo Basin Forest Summit

  Washington, DC -- The signing of Africa's first ever region-wide conservation treaty, and an agreement to protect over seven percent of the Congo Basin forests are historic milestones for the future of the world's second largest rainforest, WWF, the global conservation organization, said today.

  February 05, 2005

• New Commitments and Bold Measures Needed to Save the Congo Basin's Forests

  Washington, DC - Despite extraordinary progress on conservation since the historic Yaoundé Summit in 1999, two thirds of the Congo Basin's forests remain at grave risk and could be lost within 50 years unless more is done to combat illegal logging, poaching, wildlife smuggling and the illicit bushmeat trade, World Wildlife Fund warned today.

  February 03, 2005

• Bill Introduced to Boost Water Supplies

  State Senator Shannon Robinson (D-17, Bernalillo) and Representative Mimi Stewart (D-21, Bernalillo) introduced the Water Efficient Technology act (WET) today in the New Mexico Senate and House of Representatives. The bill would raise $10-20 million annually to increase the productivity of the state's water supplies by fixing leaking pipes, funding infrastructure, water-efficient technology and other water projects. Cosponsors include Representatives Ben Lujan, (D-Santa Fe), Speaker of the House, Irvin Harrison, (D-McKinley, San Juan), Manuel Herrera, (D-Grant, Hildago), Antonio Lujan (D-Doña Ana), Jim Trujillo (D-Santa Fe), Ernest Chavez (D-Bernalillo), Edward Sandoval (D-Bernalillo), Roger Madalena (D-Bern, McK., R.A. & Sandoval), Nick Salazar (D-Mora, R.A., S.M., S.F. & Taos), Peter Wirth (D-Santa Fe), Joni Gutierrez (D-Dona Ana), Gail Beam (D-Bernalillo), Danice Picraux (D-Bernalillo).

  January 26, 2005

• Unique Global Fishing Gear Contest Reels in Rivals from around the World

  Washington, D.C. - Protecting sea turtles, dolphins and whales has become a competitive sport in a first-ever global effort to energize creative fishermen, scientists, and academics to come up with innovative fishing gear that is more selective. With its International Smart Gear Competition, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and its partners hope to reverse the decline of vulnerable species accidentally caught in nets and other fishing gear by awarding a cash prize to the winners and eventually seeing the inventions succeed in international waters.

  January 24, 2005

• WWF-US President To Step Down

  WASHINGTON, D.C. - Kathryn Fuller will step down from her post as president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund before the U.S. arm of the WWF global conservation network ends its current fiscal year in June. Her announcement comes as the organization shapes a new long-term strategic plan to build on conservation and institutional successes achieved under Fuller's nearly 16-year tenure at the helm.

  January 19, 2005

• 'Green Reconstruction' Vital in the Aftermath of the Tsunami

  Washington, DC - In the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, WWF, the global conservation organization, is calling on governments to support the devastated communities by ensuring that efforts to rebuild their livelihoods are environmentally sustainable. The call comes as a UN conference on the vulnerability of small island developing states gets underway in Mauritius in the Indian Ocean -- the area severely impacted by the tsunami.

  January 10, 2005