Influencing U.S. Government Policy

WWF advocates for U.S. government policies and funding to promote the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity and halt the drivers of species loss globally, including habitat destruction, illegal wildlife trade, and human-wildlife conflict. WWF has a particular focus on the role that U.S. government programs play in supporting conservation in developing countries, which are home to some of our planet’s richest ecosystems. These include projects supported by USAID’s Biodiversity Conservation programs, Combating Wildlife Trafficking programs at USAID and the Department of State, and the Multinational Species Conservation Funds run by USFWS. WWF also advocates for bipartisan legislation that would mobilize new conservation investments at home and abroad, such as the U.S. Foundation for International Conservation Act and Recovering America's Wildlife Act. 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.

WWF supports policies to halt and reverse the destruction of forests and critical landscapes, which is intricately connected to some of the most pressing problems we face: climate change, biodiversity loss, wildfires, corruption and weak governance. WWF advocates to mobilize large-scale public and private funding for the conservation, management, and restoration of critical ecosystems, such as the Amazon, including through debt-for-nature swaps under the innovative Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Act, as well as policies to tackle the illegal and unsustainable production of key commodities that drive significant forest, grassland and habitat loss globally. Such policies include the bipartisan FOREST Act to halt imports of agricultural products linked to illegal deforestation and associated abuses and the full enforcement of the Lacey Act Amendments of 2008, the landmark law that made the U.S. the first country to ban trafficking of products containing illegally sourced wood. 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.

Preventing Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing is a major part of WWF’s advocacy to protect the world’s oceans. That’s why WWF advocates for policies that ensure all seafood imported into the U.S. marketplace has been caught legally and sustainably, including by strengthening the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Seafood Import Monitoring Program. WWF also works closely with federal agencies and Congress to reduce threats to marine life in the Arctic and other regions, including from oil and gas development, and to support the creation and expansion of marine protected areas to benefit both biodiversity and coastal communities.

Healthy ecosystems are foundational to both food and water security. But unsustainable agricultural practices are a major driver of nature loss. And the overexploitation of freshwater resources is undermining human wellbeing and the health of critical ecosystems. Meanwhile, roughly 40 percent of the U.S. food supply is wasted every year. That's why WWF is a founding supporter of the Zero Food Waste Coalition and advocates for policies that reduce waste, such as the NO TIME TO Waste Act, Zero Food Waste Act, and the Food Date Labeling Act. WWF urges Congress to pass a 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.

WWF works to advance federal, state and international policies to ensure the U.S. meets its global commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52 percent and invest in the ability of developing countries to do the same while building their resilience to worsening climate impacts. This includes working to ensure the successful implementation of the historic climate and clean energy investments contained in the Inflation Reduction Act and advocating with Congress to provide robust international climate finance as part of its annual funding bills.

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 is advocating for reduced reliance on single-use plastics as well as Extended Producer Responsibility measures to ensure that companies creating plastic waste are responsible for reducing their plastic footprint. 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.