Influencing Policy

Overview

Sound public policy is critical to the success of long-term conservation. WWF works with partners across all sectors, including governments and multilateral institutions, to secure protection for nature.

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3 ways the US can act on the plastic waste crisis and protect our oceans

An exorbitant amount of plastic waste continues to plague our oceans, threatening marine life and the people who depend on these waters for their livelihoods. Despite the dire scope of this crisis, the growing momentum to address it is promising.

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Jellyfish (Catostylus sp.) swims beneath a slick of plastic debris. Indian Ocean off Sri Lanka.

What WWF Is Doing

Conservation at home and abroad

WWF advocates for strong U.S. federal policies and funding for international conservation, working closely with Congress and partner agencies, including USAID, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the State Department. WWF also advocates for strong domestic policies to combat climate change, protect endangered species, and conserve important American landscapes and seascapes, including the grasslands of the Northern Great Plains and the Alaskan Arctic.

Supporting wildlife conservation

WWF has helped make the U.S. a global leader on efforts to conserve international species and combat wildlife trafficking around the globe, working to secure a U.S. National Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking in 2014 and the passage of the END Wildlife Trafficking Act in 2016. WWF has also played a central role in the creation and growth of the Multinational Species Conservation Funds – USFWS programs that help protect elephants, rhinos, tigers, great apes, and marine turtles.

Protecting forests

WWF has worked closely with U.S. government partners to protect tropical forests and prevent illegal timber trade around the globe, helping to strengthen U.S. laws against the import and trade in illegal wood products and secure passage of the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, which creates incentives for developing countries to protect their forests through debt-for-nature swaps.

Safeguarding our oceans

WWF has also helped catalyze U.S. government efforts to protect coral reefs, working with U.S. agencies in support of the Coral Triangle Initiative in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and to prevent Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, helping to secure new government policies to ensure that fish being imported into the U.S. and purchased by American consumers have been caught legally and sustainably.

Climate change commitments

WWF also played a leading role in advocating for strong American commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement and continues to work to advance federal policies to ensure the U.S. meets these commitments and transitions to a clean energy economy.

Commitment to independence

WWF is an independent organization and all actions, undertakings, and positions of WWF are determined by the organization. WWF does not operate as an agent for any funder and we do not accept funding from any source that could compromise our independence.

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