Influencing U.S. Government Policy

WWF promotes conserving the diversity of life on Earth and halting the drivers of species loss. WWF advocates for US government programs that provide critical support for conservation in low- and middle-income countries, which are home to some of our planet’s richest ecosystems. WWF, in partnership with members of Congress in both parties and other environmental organizations, also supported the enactment of a new US Foundation for International Conservation to make federal dollars toward protecting nature count double with additional investments from private and philanthropic sources. WWF further supports measures to defend the Endangered Species Act, our nation’s primary law protecting species from extinction, and restore iconic American wildlife like the black-footed ferret and the American bison.

Defending nature is a matter of national security. Criminal actors profit from illegally poaching and trading natural resources such as wildlife, timber, and fish. WWF supports US government programs and policies to stop illegal wildlife trafficking; enforce the Lacey Act to halt the illegal timber trade; and prevent Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing by strengthening the NOAA Seafood Import Monitoring Program so that all seafood entering the US marketplace is fully traceable to legal sources. Laws like the Big Cat Public Safety Act – which was enacted in 2022 following the advocacy of nearly 700,000 WWF activists – are instrumental in helping prevent captive wildlife from ending up in the illegal trade of their parts and products. Following calls led by WWF and industry to halt imports of illegally sourced wood, the Department of Agriculture requires greater supply chain traceability of products such as furniture, sporting goods, housewares, tools, boats, vehicles, and cork. Additionally, WWF helped advance a provision in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act that allows the Department of Defense to build local capacity for stopping illicit maritime activities like illegal fishing.

Forest conservation is intricately connected to some of the most pressing problems we face: climate change, species loss, wildfires, corruption, and weak governance. WWF advocates to mobilize resources for the conservation, management, and restoration of critical ecosystems such as the Amazon and Congo Basin, including through debt-for-nature swaps under the innovative Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Act. WWF further supports policies to tackle the illegal and unsustainable production of agricultural commodities that drive forest, grassland, and habitat loss globally. Additionally, WWF works to create and implement effective safeguards for the development of linear infrastructure – particularly roads, railways, and power lines – that protect people and nature from harm.

Healthy ecosystems are foundational to food and water security. But unsustainable agricultural practices and overexploited freshwater resources are major drivers of nature loss, undermining human wellbeing and the health of critical ecosystems. WWF works in partnership with government and the private sector to reverse these declines, including steps to halt the 40 percent of the US food supply that is wasted every year. WWF urges Congress to pass a long-overdue new Farm Bill incorporating funding and policy recommendations that would invest in American farmers, ranchers, and forest-owners to conserve critical habitats such as native grasslands in the Northern Great Plains and build a more resilient food system. The last iteration of the Farm Bill in 2018 included funding for conservation programs that help US producers keep natural habitats intact with the support of nearly 200,000 activists.

Communities, species, and livelihoods are all under threat from a changing climate. WWF supports policies to advance clean energy solutions while reducing pollution and invest in the ability of low-and middle-income countries to build their resilience to natural disasters and extreme weather. This includes working to ensure the successful implementation of the historic clean energy investments in the Inflation Reduction Act and urging Congress to provide robust funding for international efforts to protect communities from the extreme heat, flooding, storms, and other disasters that are becoming increasingly common around the world. WWF also advocates for elevating actions and policies that harness the power of nature in the US government response to a changing climate.

WWF’s No Plastic in Nature initiative aims to stop the flow of plastic into nature by 2030. WWF's approach brings together all stakeholders — government, businesses, and the public — to reduce the consumption of plastic while establishing more consistency in how people reuse and recycle it. At the state and federal levels, WWF advocates for reduced reliance on single-use plastics as well as Extended Producer Responsibility measures that have now been enacted in states like Minnesota and Colorado to ensure that companies creating plastic waste are responsible for reducing their plastic footprint. Bipartisan, pragmatic measures like the Save Our Seas Act 2.0 that help the federal government better understand the barriers to recycling and identify interventions to keep plastic out of nature have also become law following WWF’s advocacy. Globally, WWF is one of the leading NGOs advocating for governments to agree to an ambitious and equitable United Nations global treaty to end plastic pollution.