Press Releases and Updates

News box - Partnering to Save Our Oceans

View an article on thegef.org about a breakthrough approach to help reduce bycatch and ensure a more sustainable future. Read more

Fish: A priority for WWF and local communities in Indonesia

Fishing is the principal livelihood for over 200 million people around the world, but since the 1950s it has been estimated that over 75% of the marine fish stocks are now either fully exploited or overfished. WWF is working with more than 40 countries to end destructive fishing practices, to create and expand marine protected areas, reform national policies for managing fish and address the needs of those who depend on marine areas.

Close Encounters

“Over there, over there!!!  Get your masks and flippers on!” our interaction officer, Embet Guadamor yells. He’s standing high on the mast of an outrigger pointing Southwest to what looks like open ocean. But it’s not open ocean to his eagle eyes. He’s spotted a dark, spotted mass under the water and it can only mean one thing – we’re about to enter the realm of the whale sharks.

New Study Says Increased Enforcement is Cheapest Way to Save Southeast Asia’s Coral Reefs from Blast Fishing

A new study analyzing the destruction of Southeast Asia’s coral reefs by blast fishing finds that an ounce of prevention is indeed better than a pound of cure. The authors of the study in the journal Conservation Letters find that using marine patrols and enforcement to prevent blast fishing can be 70 times more cost-effective than rebuilding those reefs after the damage is done.

WWF to Engage in Independent Assessment of Coral Triangle Skipjack Fisheries

WWF announced its intent to actively engage in the independent assessment of skipjack tuna fisheries in part of the Coral Triangle following today’s declaration by the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) to seek Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.

2009 Conservation Achievements So Far

WWF has enjoyed many significant conservation achievements across the past year. Below are a few success stories highlighting exciting results, but also emphasizing our continuous commitment to confront the ongoing challenges faced by our planet. 

Coral Triangle Leaders Declare Action to Protect Marine Resources for People's Well-being

A new, six-country Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI) was launched today at a Leaders’ Summit in Manado, North

Sulawesi; a series of new commitments by the six governments to an unprecedented

cooperative effort to safeguard the world’s richest marine resources and ensure the income,

livelihoods and food security for millions who depend on these resources.

Update: Leaders vow to protect Coral Triangle and its people

In May 2009, leaders of six Coral Triangle countries promised to take action to safeguard the world’s richest marine resource and some 100 million people depending on it.

WWF Study Says Climate Change Could Displace Millions In Asia's Coral Triangle

Coral reefs could disappear entirely from the Coral Triangle region of the Pacific Ocean by the end of the century, threatening the food supply and livelihoods for about 100 million people, according to a new study from World Wildlife Fund.

Slow Sales Of Sustainable Palm Oil Threaten Tropical Forests; WWF To Grade Palm Oil Buyers

New figures released by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today show that only 1 percent of the sustainable palm oil available on the market has been bought, raising concerns that one of the major solutions to halting deforestation of tropical forests is not catching on fast enough.  Rapid increases in the production of palm oil, which is found in everything from cosmetics to ice cream to chocolate bars, has caused extensive land clearing in places like Borneo and Sumatra, resulting in loss of habitat for endangered species like tigers and orangutans and contributing to climate change.

Massive Coral Bleaching Could Decimate SE Asia’s Coral Triangle this Winter

Potentially widespread and severe coral bleaching is predicted this winter, which could cause immense damage to some of the world’s most important marine environments including the Coral Triangle of SE Asia and the Western Pacific, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warns.

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.

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.

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.

Immediate Ban Needed to Save Bluefin Tuna

Washington DC– The bluefin tuna population is close to collapse because of over-fishing, lack of comprehensive management, illegal fishing in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean Seas, and insufficient measures taken by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), according to WWF and eight other conservation organizations. The organizations voiced their concerns in a letter sent to Dr. William T. Hogarth, Director of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service and the chairman of ICCAT today.

WWF Lauds Senators Inouye and Stevens for Leadership on Reauthorization of Coral Reef Conservation Act

WASHINGTON DC –Members of the world’s leading environmental organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund, today hailed the leaders of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation for approving S. 1580, the Coral Reef Conservation Reauthorization Act (CRCRA), and in particular including a new program with dedicated funding for international coral reef conservation.

World Wildlife Fund Applauds Senate Committee Approval of Bill to Support Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation

Washington - World Wildlife Fund officials today offered strong praise for the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in approving S. 2020, a bill that reauthorizes the Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA).

WWF Welcomes Government Support for Conservation of Indonesia's Forests

WASHINGTON --WWF welcomes the announcement this weekend by the Australian and Indonesian governments of the Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership. The Australian Government aims to contribute $30 million over four years to the partnership and encourages other government, private sector and non-government organizations to meet a target of $100 million to protect and rehabilitate large areas of forest across Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo).

Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Endorsed by APEC Summit

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - At yesterday's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, 21 world leaders endorsed a new proposal to safeguard the rich marine resources of the Indo-Pacific region for future generations. The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security aims to bring together six governments in a multilateral partnership to conserve the extraordinary marine life in the region. The proposal was endorsed in the Sydney APEC Leaders' Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development.  U.S. President George W. Bush welcomed this Initiative during the Summit.

New Study Presents First-Ever Classification of World's Coastal Waters

WASHINGTON  — A new study published today in the journal BioScience presents a first-ever natural classification system of the world’s coastal waters that will help improve priority setting and conservation planning for marine habitats. The report, titled "Marine Ecoregions of the World: a bioregionalization of coast and shelf areas" was written by lead authors Mark Spalding, senior marine scientist at The Nature Conservancy and Helen Fox, marine biologist at World Wildlife Fund, along with coauthors from 10 partner organizations.

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.