World Wildlife Fund

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

• 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

• Ecosystem and Resource Managers Must Prepare for Climate Change, New Government Study Finds

  A key government report issued today concludes that climate change is having a significant and irreversible impact on sensitive ecosystems and resources and urges the immediate implementation of ecosystem adaptation strategies on federally protected and managed lands and waters. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials called on Congress and the administration to provide the leadership, funding and reforms that federal managers require to implement the report’s recommendations.

  June 20, 2008

• Climate Change Fueling Extreme Weather Events, Government Study Finds

  Climate change is altering the frequency and severity of many extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts and hurricanes, according to a government report issued today. In the wake of devastating flooding throughout the Midwest – for which President Bush is seeking nearly $2 billion in emergency aid – the report illustrates the nation’s economic vulnerability to climate change and reinforces the urgency of developing a national preparedness strategy for climate change impacts, said a senior World Wildlife Fund (WWF) official.

  June 19, 2008

• Tuna Populations at Risk

  A historic meeting next week may decide the fate of tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, one of the world’s most important marine resources.

  June 19, 2008

• WWF-Supported Timber Provision Becomes Law

  The import, purchase, sale and transport of products made from illegally harvested wood will for the first time become a federal crime under legislation passed today by the U.S. Congress.

  June 18, 2008

• Update: Pandas have been safely relocated

  The unspeakable human tragedy resulting from the massive earthquake in China and the major reconstruction efforts ahead have been very much in the news lately.  As you are aware, this is a critical region for WWF because of our work to protect giant pandas and panda habitat and I wanted to update you on the current state of our efforts. The situation in the field is still very fluid, with sometimes contradictory reports being issued. Thankfully, all WWF staff and volunteers in China are now reported safe.

  June 12, 2008

• Monumental Debt-for-Nature Swap Provides $20 Million to Protect Biodiversity in Madagascar, WWF Announces

  The largest debt-for-nature swap agreement in Madagascar’s history was signed today between the Government of Madagascar and the Government of France, allocating roughly $20 million (13 million Euros) to preserve Madagascar’s rich biodiversity, WWF announced today.

  June 11, 2008

• WWF Statement on Senate Climate Bill

  The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 3036) today failed to garner a 60 vote supermajority necessary to advance the legislation in the U.S. Senate. However, the 48-36 vote in favor of proceeding marked a significant shift in political support for addressing climate change, said Dr. Richard Moss, vice president of climate change at World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

  June 06, 2008

• Rarest Rhinos Make Video Trap Debut

   

  June 02, 2008

• Eleven Major Corporations Urge Senate Passage Of Climate Change Legislation

  Eleven major corporations today urged the U.S. Senate to pass climate change legislation, saying the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 3036), which will be voted on this week, “represents a real effort to establish the regulatory framework that we need.”

  June 02, 2008

• Brazil's Environment Minister Commits to New Protected Areas in the Amazon

  Bonn, Germany, May 30, 2008 – Brazil's Environment Minister, Carlos Minc, has confirmed the imminent creation of four new protected areas, three of them in the Brazilian Amazon, totaling 2.3 million hectares. The announcement of the creation of these areas will be made on June 5th, World Environment Day. Minc announced this commitment yesterday at the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn, Germany, where, together with Environmental Ministers of 60 countries, he also signed onto a WWF campaign of zero net deforestation by 2020.

  May 30, 2008

• Brazil's Environment Minister Commits to New Protected Areas in the Amazon

  Bonn, Germany, May 30, 2008 – Brazil's Environment Minister, Carlos Minc, has confirmed the imminent creation of four new protected areas, three of them in the Brazilian Amazon, totaling 2.3 million hectares. The announcement of the creation of these areas will be made on June 5th, World Environment Day. Minc announced this commitment yesterday at the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn, Germany, where, together with Environmental Ministers of 60 countries, he also signed onto a WWF campaign of zero net deforestation by 2020.

  May 30, 2008

• New Federal Assessment Confirms Climate Change Dangers, Says WWF

  A report focusing on the impacts of climate change in the U.S. that was issued today by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) is consistent with previously published research, but falls far short of meeting the needs of decision-makers for timely and useful information on the growing impacts of climate change, said World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials.

  May 29, 2008

• More Protection for Africa’s Rainforests

  The Democratic Republic of the Congo will establish 13 to 15 million hectares of new protected areas, the country announced yesterday at the UN Environmental Summit in Bonn, Germany. These proposed protected areas make up an area of rainforests roughly the size of Greece.  WWF applauds this commitment as a step towards creating an important and expansive network for the preservation of tropical rainforests. With this commitment, the Congolese government will reach its goal to protect 15 percent of the country.

  May 28, 2008

• U.S. Government Study Finds Climate Change Impacting Water Availability, Agriculture, And Wildlife

  Climate change is fueling forest fires, creating water scarcity, harming animal habitats, and causing other significant changes throughout the United States that will only worsen as global temperatures increase, concludes a new federal government assessment of current and future climate change impacts.

  May 27, 2008

• International organized smuggling group charged with trafficking Amur tiger body parts and 480 bear paws

  On 27 May 2008, Primorskii regional court handed out its verdict in the trial of three Russian and three Chinese individuals charged with trafficking Amur tiger body parts and 480 bear paws, for which they had tried to pass to China in August 2007.

  May 27, 2008

• Abalone Aquaculture Dialogue Begins

  The process of creating standards for certifying farmed abalone is underway. The standards will help minimize the key environmental and social impacts associated with abalone production.

  May 23, 2008

• World Wildlife Fund Offers Unique Eco-Friendly Gifts For Father’s Day

  For fathers who are as “wise as an owl,” as “strong as a lion,” or as “lovable as a grizzly bear,” World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is making it easy for people to salute and celebrate the special men in their lives for Father’s Day. Symbolic animal adoptions in support of a worthy cause are a great way to honor a great father while protecting the environment.

  May 23, 2008

• 20 Giant Panda Reserves Affected in Earthquake

  In addition to untold human devastation, WWF has learned that the 8.0 magnitude earthquake that struck China’s Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008, severely impacted close to 20 panda reserves in the Minshan Landscape, part of WWF’s Yangtze priority place and home to the giant panda.

  May 23, 2008

• WWF-Backed Wildlife Protection Bill Clears U.S. House

  Legislation to protect endangered and iconic animals, including leopards, cheetahs and African wild dogs, passed the U.S. House of Representatives today.  World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) chief scientist testified in support of the bill at a hearing in September.

  May 20, 2008

• Newborns on the Northern Great Plains

  Springtime on the plains brought more than just the year’s first rains and prairie grasses, as WWF’s bison reintroduction project welcomed five newborn calves (and counting) to Montana’s American Prairie Reserve.  The Reserve and reintroduction are joint projects between WWF and our partner the American Prairie Foundation. 

  May 16, 2008

• WWF Says Farm Bill Is Missed Opportunity, May Negatively Impact Native Grasslands

  A $300 billion five-year Farm Bill that cleared Congress today contains much-welcomed environmental provisions, but also creates risk to native grasslands, leaves conservation programs under-funded and misses an opportunity to reform the government’s outdated farm subsidy system, according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

  May 15, 2008

• World Wildlife Fund Confirms Safety of 12 American Tourists In China’s Wolong Nature Reserve

  World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials said today they have received confirmation that 12 American tourists in China, who had been out of contact since the massive earthquake struck the Wenchuan region on Monday, have been located and are reported to be safe. 

  May 14, 2008

• U.S. Government Affirms that Climate Change is Putting Polar Bears in Peril

  Climate change is destroying vital polar bear habitat, putting the species at risk of extinction, the U.S. government said today as it listed the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world’s largest conservation organization, said the government’s decision clearly indicates that climate change impacts are already threatening the survivability of animals and habitats, and illustrates the urgency of preparing for and adapting to a rapidly changing climate.  

  May 14, 2008

• U.S. GovernmentUpdate: WWF Joins Suit Opposing Lease Sale 193 in the Chukchi Sea

   

  May 14, 2008

• WWF Joins Suit Opposing Lease Sale 193 in the Chukchi Sea

   

  May 14, 2008

• Creation of New Protected Areas in the Amazon; Good News, But Not Enough to Save It, Says WWF.

  The announcement by Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the creation of approximately 7,828,938.5 acres of new federal protected areas in the Amazon: the Jarí National Park, Iquiri National Forest, Middle Purus Extractive Reserve, and the expansion of the Balata-Tufari National Forest is a positive step but only one of many which will be needed to save the Amazon, according to WWF.

  May 12, 2008

• World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy Release First-Ever Comprehensive Global Map of Freshwater Systems

  Over a decade of work and contributions by more than 200 leading conservation scientists have produced a first-ever comprehensive map and database of the diversity of life in the world’s freshwater ecosystems. The map and associated fish data – a collaborative project between World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy -- are featured in the May issue of the journal BioScience.

  May 08, 2008

• Businesses Seeking Expertise from the Conservation Community Now Have Clear Steps for Moving Ahead on Sustainable Seafood

  World Wildlife Fund is one of more than a dozen U.S. and Canadian organizations that today released steps companies can take to develop and implement a comprehensive, corporate policy on sustainable, wild-caught and farmed seafood. The “Common Vision for Environmentally Sustainable Seafood” highlights a clear path for achieving sustainability in the seafood industry.

  May 08, 2008

• Gulf Coast Students and WWF to Explore How Vulnerable Region is to Climate Change

  WASHINGTON—Twenty-five high school students displaced by Hurricane Katrina will join WWF and scientists to examine the southeastern United States’ vulnerability to climate change under research awards from WWF and Allianz Foundation for North America this spring.

  May 01, 2008

• Unprotected: Bristol Bay, Alaska - World's Fish Basket

   

  May 01, 2008

• World Wildlife Fund and Aquarium of the Pacific Partner to Help Save One of the World’s Most Important Wildlife Havens

  Described by Jacques Cousteau as the world’s aquarium, Mexico’s Gulf of California is one of five marine ecosystems in the world with the highest diversity of wildlife. But pressures from unsustainable tourism, development, and commercial fishing are threatening the wildlife and the way of life for the people of the region. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Aquarium of the Pacific have formed a partnership to help save the Gulf of California.

  April 30, 2008

• Wildlife Protection Bill Advances in House

  WASHINGTON – Legislation to protect endangered and iconic animals, including leopards, cheetahs and gray wolves, passed a key congressional panel today and was cleared for a vote by the full U.S. House of Representatives.  World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) chief scientist, Dr. Eric Dinerstein, testified in support of the bill at a hearing in September.

  April 30, 2008

• This Mother’s Day, celebrate mother nature and all the moms in your life

  This Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 11) you can show every one of the moms in your life how much you care with a gift from World Wildlife Fund’s Online Gift Center.  WWF Mother’s Day gifts are not only perfect for any mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, daughter, or mother to be, but also provide a way to help Mother Earth.

  April 28, 2008

• The Bolivian River Dolphin: Conservation Ambassador of the Amazon

  The government of Bolivia recently declared the Bolivian river dolphin as a Natural Heritage. This designation highlights the value placed on the conservation of this species and the freshwater ecosystems in the Beni province of northeastern Bolivia where it lives. The government committed to continuing its protection of this emblematic cetacean and pledged to strengthen measures to conserve the dolphin and its habitats.

  April 25, 2008

• Climate Change Hitting Arctic Faster, Harder

  WASHINGTON – Climate change is having a greater and faster impact on the Arctic than previously thought, according to a new study by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

  April 24, 2008

• WWF-Backed Oceans Bill Clears Congressional Panel

  WASHINGTON – A key congressional panel today passed a landmark bill, strongly backed by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), that would reinvigorate the health of U.S. coastal waters and bolster the sustainability of the oceans.

  April 23, 2008

• Reducing Deforestation is Key to Addressing Climate Change, WWF Official Tells Congress

  WASHINGTON -- National and international plans to combat climate change must address the root causes of deforestation, which is responsible for nearly 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) official said in testimony before the U.S. Senate today. 

  April 22, 2008

• 36 Million Americans Take Part in WWF's Earth Hour

  World Wildlife Fund announced today that an estimated 36 million Americans took part in Earth Hour, a global event in support for action on climate change that took place March 29, 2008.

  April 21, 2008

• Development of Standards for Shrimp Farming in East Africa and Central America/Mexico Moving Forward

  WASHINGTON, DC: Criteria and indicators that will be used to create standards for responsible shrimp farming are under development for the shrimp industries in East Africa and Central America/Mexico.

  April 18, 2008

• "Extinct" elephant may have been found again – on a different island with a different name

  The Borneo pygmy elephant may not be native to the island of Borneo after all. Instead, the population could be the last survivors of the Javan elephant race – accidentally saved from extinction by the Sultan of Sulu centuries ago, suggests an article co-authored by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

  April 17, 2008

• Development of Standards for Shrimp Farming in East Africa and Central America/Mexico Moving Forward

  Criteria and indicators that will be used to create standards for responsible shrimp farming are under development for the shrimp industries in East Africa and Central America/Mexico.

  April 17, 2008

• President Bush Refuses to Lead; WWF Looks to Presidential Candidates for Leadership on Climate Change

  WASHINGTON – Officials at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today expressed doubt that President Bush’s Rose Garden speech this afternoon will offer any hope for meaningful action on climate change before the end of his term and called on his would-be successors to demonstrate leadership on the issue, specifically urging them to participate in a debate on climate change and other science and environmental issues.

  April 16, 2008

• President Bush’s Climate Speech: Too Little Too Late

  WASHINGTON – Dr. Richard Moss, Vice President and Managing Director of Climate Change for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and member of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, issued the following statement today in response to President Bush’s speech on climate change:

  April 16, 2008

• Illegal Fishers Plunder Arctic Waters, says WWF Report

  Anchorage, ALASKA –Pervasive and hugely profitable illegal fishing for Atlantic cod and walleye pollock in the Arctic threatens the health of globally important fisheries and their resilience to climate change, says a new WWF report Illegal Fishing in Arctic Waters.

  April 16, 2008

• Technical Working Groups to Develop Draft Standards for Pangasius Aquaculture

  Nominations are due by April 30th for the Technical Working Groups (TWG) that will draft criteria, indicators and measurable standards for certifying sustainable pangasius farming. Recommendations from the TWGs will be presented to the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue – a diverse group of pangasius farming stakeholders – for final consideration by the end of this year.

  April 15, 2008

• National Geographic Channel Recognizes WWF with Award

  WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 9, 2008 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was one of four organizations awarded National Geographic Channel's "Preserve Our Planet" Award for Excellence at an event held April 8 at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, DC.

  April 11, 2008

• Major Manufacturers Commit to Responsibly Source Forest Products

  Procter & Gamble and Domtar Corporation have joined the North America Forest & Trade Network (NAFTN), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced today. NAFTN is the North American arm of the Global Forest & Trade Network, WWF's initiative to eliminate illegal logging and improve the management of valuable and threatened forests. By facilitating trade links between companies committed to supporting responsible forestry, the Global Forest & Trade Network creates market conditions that help conserve the world’s forests while providing economic and social benefits for the businesses and people that depend on them.

  April 10, 2008

• World Wildlife Fund, Coca-Cola Put Partnership in Action through Internships with University of Michigan’s Erb Institute

  The Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan today announced that The Coca-Cola Company and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are sponsoring a new joint internship program. This innovative program will connect Erb Institute MBA/MS candidates with business and nonprofit thought leaders to collaboratively develop solutions to the challenge of preserving clean water for future generations.

  April 10, 2008

• WWF Opposes Interior Department Push For Offshore Drilling in Bristol Bay

  ANCHORAGE, AK -Today's announcement by the Department of the Interior inviting offshore oil and gas drilling at the heart of Alaska's Bering Sea fishery could undermine commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries throughout the region, warned World Wildlife Fund (WWF).  The action also puts marine mammal and migratory bird habitat at unacceptable risk.

  April 09, 2008

• Cars should plug-in to a new future

  WASHINGTON, D.C. – Plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles offer a promising pathway to a sustainable transport future that reduces risks of climate catastrophe and possible conflict over dwindling oil resources, a new WWF analysis has found.

  April 02, 2008

• Vietnam province redefines hydropower development

  On the eve of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit in Vientiane, Mr Nguyen Duc Hai, the Chairman of Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee, has taken a bold and visionary stance for sustainable dam development in this Vietnam province. WWF, the global conservation organization, says this sends a timely and powerful signal to regional leaders as they seek to manage the pressing challenges of rapid infrastructure development and economic growth in a sustainable way.

  March 28, 2008

• The Coca-Cola Company Turns Out for Earth Hour 2008

  (ATLANTA) -- March 27, 2008 -- The Coca-Cola Company is stepping up in a big way to support Earth Hour 2008--a global "lights off" event created by the World Wildlife Fund to call attention to climate change. Coca-Cola has committed to darken its famous Times Square billboard in New York and the lights at its world headquarters in Atlanta, while donating advertising space valued at more than $2.5 million to promote Earth Hour, which takes place Saturday, March 29th at 8 p.m.

  March 27, 2008

• World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour Celebrations Spread to Six Continents in Largest Climate Change Event in History

  Washington, D.C.– March 26, 2008– With less than a week to go, participation in Earth Hour (www.earthhour.org) has grown dramatically as nearly 200 cities, including 35 in the U.S., join millions of individuals and businesses around the world in turning off their lights on Saturday, March 29th from 8 – 9 pm local time in a dramatic symbolic gesture in support for action on climate change.

  March 26, 2008

• As Earth Day Approachs, WWF Offers Simple Ways To Make A Difference

  WASHINGTON, DC – With Earth Day (April 22) less than a month away, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is offering some simple actions you can do to show you care about the future of the planet.

  March 25, 2008

• Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue Meeting Set for March in Vietnam

  WASHINGTON, DC: Developing criteria and indicators that will be the framework for pangasius aquaculture standards will be the focal point of the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue meeting in Can Tho City, Vietnam March 27-28.
  

  March 20, 2008

• Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue Heads to Belize

  WASHINGTON, DC: The first meeting to begin developing standards for certifying responsible shrimp farming in Central America and Mexico will be April 1-2 in Belize. The standards will help reduce or eliminate the key environmental and social impacts related to shrimp aquaculture – one of the fastest growing types of aquaculture in the world.

  March 20, 2008

• More of Africa urged to boost rhino numbers

  KwaZulu Natal, South Africa– After bringing Africa’s black rhinos back from the brink of extinction one of the most successful conservation programs celebrates its first decade by seeking to extend its operations to more of Africa.

  March 14, 2008

• World Wildlife Fund Partners with HP to Promote Earth Hour

  WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 11, 2008 - World Wildlife Fund today named HP as the official US technology partner for Earth Hour, the global climate change event taking place Saturday, March 29 at 8 pm local time (www.earthhour.org) in cities around the world.

  March 11, 2008

• Abalone Aquaculture Dialogue to Begin in April

  WASHINGTON, DC: The process of developing standards for certifying farmed abalone will begin April 29th at the first meeting of the Abalone Aquaculture Dialogue, to be held in Melbourne, Australia.

  March 11, 2008

• Go with Gold for Quality Carbon Offsetting in Energy Sector

  WASHINGTON, D.C.– The Gold Standard for carbon offsets in the energy sector has come out on top after research which, for the first time, rates voluntary offset standards according to clear quality criteria.

  March 10, 2008

• Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue Meeting Set for March in Vietnam

  WASHINGTON, DC: Developing criteria and indicators that will be the framework for pangasius aquaculture standards will be the focal point of the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue meeting in Can Tho City, Vietnam March 27-28.

  March 03, 2008

• Destruction of Sumatra forests driving global climate change and species extinction: WWF

  Pekanbaru, Sumatra-Turning just one Sumatran province's forests and peat swamps into pulpwood and palm oil plantations is generating more annual greenhouse gas emissions than the Netherlands and rapidly driving the province's elephants into extinction, a new study by WWF and partners has found.

  February 26, 2008

• Sumatra's Forests Disappearing, Bad News for Climate Change, Tigers and Elephants

  A groundbreaking report by WWF and partners analyzes the local-to-global connections between deforestation, climate change and the rapid decline of tigers and elephants in the Riau Province, on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.

  February 26, 2008

• World Wildlife Fund Named To Top 12 Green IT List

  WASHINGTON DC – World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been named as the only environmental group and only non-profit organization in Computerworld Magazine’s “Top Green-IT Companies for 2008”. WWF, the world’s largest environmental organization, was singled out for its use of energy saving technologies and CO2 reducing business practices.  The recognition appears in the February 18, 2008 issue of Computerworld Magazine and online at Computerworld.com.

  February 21, 2008

• World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour Gains Momentum As Three More US Cities Join Chicago in Historic Global, Climate Change Event

  WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 15, 2008 – Momentum continues to build for Earth Hour 2008, as World Wildlife Fund announced today that four major US cities will take part in a global effort to turn off the lights on March 29, 2008 to demonstrate concern about climate change.

  February 21, 2008

• Media Advisory: “Climate Camp” Teaches Natural Resource Experts from Around the World How to Protect Nature from Climate Change

  What: Climate Camp is a week-long program where conservationists, policymakers and resource managers from Papua New Guinea to Northern California learn how to develop programs that help wildlife, habitats and communities prepare for the consequences of global climate change. Climate scientists from around the world will explain the impacts of climate change and help them design programs to help places like the Congo, Amazon and Rockies prepare for a changing climate. They present these programs to their peers and funders and if the last climate camp is any guide, most will successfully implement projects when they return home.

  February 19, 2008

• Learning from Cod Collapse to Save Tuna

  Boston, Mass. – Continued mismanagement could force some tuna populations to quickly go the way of cod, a highly threatened fishery that once helped shape economies of whole nations, leading scientists said in the symposium “Last Best Chance for Tuna: Learning from the Cod Collapse” at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Boston on February 18.

  February 19, 2008

• Impacts of Salmon Aquaculture Top Agenda at Dialogue Meeting in Barcelona

  BARCELONA: The Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue met in Barcelona, Spain this week to discuss new reports about escapes, siting and benthic impacts related to salmon farming. Draft principles, or high-level goals that address the impacts of salmon farming, also were presented.

  February 19, 2008

• Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue Heads to Belize

  WASHINGTON, DC: The first meeting to begin developing standards for certifying responsible shrimp farming in Central America and Mexico will be April 1-2 in Belize. The standards will help reduce or eliminate the key environmental and social impacts related to shrimp aquaculture – one of the fastest growing types of aquaculture in the world.

  February 19, 2008

• Business leaders sign Tokyo Declaration to tackle global warming and enact industry-wide change

  Tokyo – A business group including leading companies such as HP, Sony, Nokia and Nike today released the Tokyo Declaration, a joint call to tackle the urgent issue of climate change. Signing the declaration at the Climate Savers Summit 2008 held by WWF and Sony in Tokyo, a dozen business leaders highlighted that the world’s greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by more than 50 percent by 2050. They added that emissions must peak and start to decline within the next 10 to 15 years in order to keep global warming below the dangerous threshold of 2 degrees Celsius.

  February 15, 2008

• HP Joins WWF Climate Savers Program, Pledges Further Reductions in Emissions and Energy Consumption

  WASHINGTON D.C. – HP has joined the WWF Climate Savers program, a group of leading corporations from around the world that are working with World Wildlife Fund to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, WWF and HP announced today.

  February 13, 2008

• Body Part by Body Part, Sumatran Tigers Are Being Sold into Extinction

  WASHINGTON – Laws protecting the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger have failed to prevent tiger body parts being openly sold in Indonesia, according to a TRAFFIC report launched today.

  February 12, 2008

• Native and Conservation Groups Voice Opposition to Lease Sale 193 in the Chukchi Sea

  WASHINGTON D.C. - Today, Alaska Native and conservation groups voiced their opposition to Department of Interior’s (DOI) controversial Lease Sale 193, comprising nearly 30 million acres of pristine waters in the Chukchi Sea of Alaska. The Chukchi Sea is critical habitat for polar bears, walrus, whales, seals, and migratory birds and is experiencing some of the most rapid loss of sea ice in the world due to global warming. Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the DOI, announced its intention to sell oil and gas leases in this critical part of the Arctic Ocean on January 2. Less than one week after that announcement, a different DOI agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), announced it would miss a legally required January 9 deadline for making its final decision on whether to list polar bears as “threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

  February 06, 2008

• Mollusc Aquaculture Dialogue in High Gear

  WASHINGTON, DC: Mollusc aquaculture stakeholders participating in the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-initiated Mollusc Aquaculture Dialogue will meet this winter and spring to develop standards for certifying molluscs farmed in North America. The standards will minimize or eliminate the main negative effects of mollusc farming, which were agreed on by Dialogue participants last fall.

  February 05, 2008

• MEDIA ADVISORY: Protect Polar Bears / Delay Oil Leases, World Wildlife Fund Says

  Washington D.C.- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is alarmed that a decision to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to protect the species and its fragile Arctic environment has been plagued with delays while an oil lease sale of nearly 30 million acres of the prime polar bear habitat in the Chukchi Sea is scheduled for February 6 in Alaska.

  February 04, 2008

• Staples Inc. Ends Relationship with Asia Pulp & Paper

  Office-supplies giant Staples Inc. has ended their relationship with Asia Pulp & Paper Co. Ltd. (APP). Staples sourced over 9 percent of its total paper supply from APP, and is the latest of large paper sellers worldwide, including Office Depot Inc., to stop buying from this paper company because of its poor environmental practices. WWF, along with businesses and many other conservation organizations, believe that APP is destroying natural rainforest and contributing heavily to climate change in order to feed its mills.

  February 01, 2008

• Polar Bears Need Urgent Protection, Conservation Groups Testify

  Washington D.C.– Margaret Williams, WWF’s Director of the Bering Sea ecoregion program, called for urgent action to save polar bears at the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing entitled “Examining Threats and Protections for the Polar Bear” on Wednesday, January 30, 2008. The hearing was convened to examine the status of and legal protections for the polar bear, including the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the status of listing the species under the act.

  January 30, 2008

• World Wildlife Fund Statement on Climate Change and the State of the Union

  WASHINGTON – The head of the climate change program at World Wildlife Fund, the world’s largest environmental organization, today issued the following statement:

  January 28, 2008

• WWF Influences Environment Ministers

  Recently, Ministers of the Environment from the Greater Mekong Subregion countries - Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam - gathered in Vientiane, Laos, to review the regions' environmental progress over the past three years.

  January 28, 2008

• Nokia Joins WWF Climate Savers Program

  On January 28, 2008, Nokia joined the  WWF Climate Savers program with a pledge to build on its strong environmental record by improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon dioxide emissions across its business. The company is targeting a series of energy savings including halving the stand-by energy used by its mobile phone chargers, using green electricity to power 50 percent of its facilities by 2010 and reducing the overall energy needs of its sites by 6 percent by 2012.

  January 28, 2008

• Environmental Groups Call for Increased Protection of Coral Reefs as World Marks 2008 International Year of the Reef

  Washington D.C.— As 17 countries and 30 organizations launch the International Year of the Reef today, three major environmental groups – World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International – call on governments, businesses, scientists, non-governmental organizations and individuals around the world to vastly increase actions to protect coral reefs. The International Year of the Reef 2008, designated by the International Coral Reef Initiative, is a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the value and importance of coral reefs and to motivate action to protect them.

  January 24, 2008

• Lack of meat for Africa’s Largest Concentration of Refugees Causing Large Scale Poaching

  Washington - A new report released by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, and WWF finds that the lack of meat in refugee rations in East Africa is causing a flourishing illegal trade in wild meat, threatening wildlife populations and creating a food security issue for rural communities.

  January 22, 2008

• World Wildlife Fund Mourns the Loss of Sir Edmund Hillary

  World Wildlife Fund mourns the loss of global explorer Sir Edmund Hillary, who conquered Mt. Everest but never forgot the people of the Himalayas who made his accomplishment possible.

  January 11, 2008

• WWF Disappointed by U.S. Delay in Listing Polar Bears

  WASHINGTON D.C. – World Wildlife Fund (WWF) expressed disappointment over the announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on January 7, 2008 that it will delay by up to one month a final decision on  whether to list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

  January 07, 2008

• Highway Planned by Paper Giant Asian Pulp and Paper Will Destroy Sumatran Forests, says WWF

  Washington D.C.– An investigative report released today by World Wildlife Fund revealed that paper giant Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and its affiliates are in the process of constructing a massive  highway for logging vehicles that threatens one of Indonesia’s most important forests. The highway, described by WWF in the report as being “legally questionable,” would cut an enormous swath  through one of Sumatra’s last remaining large forest blocks, home to two tribes of indigenous people and endangered elephants, tigers and orangutans.

  January 07, 2008

• Conservation Organizations Decry Controversial Chukchi Lease Sale, Raising Concerns About Survival of Polar Bears

  The Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the Department of Interior (DOI), issued its Final Notice of Intent for the Chukchi Lease Sale 193 opening approximately 29.7 million acres of the pristine Chukchi Sea to oil and gas activities on January 2.

  January 03, 2008

• Hooves and Helicopters: Adventures in Pronghorn Collaring

  On a clear northern Montana day, a joint team from WWF, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks and the University of Calgary began field work on a collaborative study of pronghorn ecology and conservation planning. The team met their goal of fitting 22 pronghorn females with GPS radio collars. The WWF team was led by Kyran Kunkel, senior fellow for the Northern Great Plains program.

  January 01, 2008