Adaptation and resilience
Helping the world adapt to climate change in harmony with nature
© Shaun Martin
Climate change brings new and unprecedented challenges to society and to nature—more frequent extreme weather events, sea level rise, displacement of vulnerable populations, reduced food and water security, economic disruption, biodiversity loss, and the list goes on. Building resilience to these increasing risks requires a shift in the way we design and implement conservation and development strategies. WWF is at the forefront of reimagining the future in a warming world.
© Shaun Martin
WWF supports locally led climate change adaptation and risk reduction efforts by collaborating with Indigenous peoples and local communities, humanitarian and disaster management agencies, US multinational companies, and government and multilateral institutions. We provide scientific expertise and thought leadership, build local capacity through technical support and training, and mobilize private and public resources for implementing on-the-ground, nature-positive adaptation and risk reduction solutions.
Our approach features three key strategies that build resilience to climate change for both people and nature:
- Harnessing the power of nature to help people reduce their vulnerability to increasing hazards.
- Supporting nature-friendly practices—such as rainwater harvesting and livelihood diversification—that help people while reducing pressure on nature.
- Advancing innovative approaches that help nature adapt to climate change and protect the valuable services people need for their well-being.
By deploying these strategies in collaboration with our partners, WWF is building a future where both people and nature thrive together in the face of a changing climate.
Our work
© Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News / Getty Images
Environment and Disaster Management
WWF’s Environment and Disaster Management program works with partners to reduce disaster risk by crafting new interdisciplinary approaches to environmentally responsible disaster management policy and practice. Working with emergency management agencies, civil society organizations and local community members, we provide guidance and training on greening disaster recovery and reconstruction and employing nature-based approaches to flood risk management.
© Shaun Martin
Climate Crowd
This community-driven initiative assists vulnerable people and nature adapt to climate change. We collaborate with communities and local organizations to collect data, conduct analysis, and co-create, fund, and implement adaptation solutions. This participatory model enables the rapid development and testing of innovative projects for the most vulnerable communities and mobilizes financial resources to take successful ideas to scale.
© Nitish Madan / WWF-International
Wildlife and climate change
The changing climate is having significant impacts on wildlife worldwide and exacerbates other threats like habitat destruction, overexploitation of wildlife, and disease and pest outbreaks. WWF works with partners around the world to better understand how a changing climate affects species populations and how they respond to changing environmental conditions. Using this information, WWF’s Wildlife Adaptation Innovation Fund supports promising on-the-ground solutions to help species adapt to a changing climate.
© WWF
Climate smart planning and design
Although the impacts of climate change are evident globally, understanding and planning for future risks and impacts remain a challenge. WWF collaborates with diverse organizations and government partners to identify climate risks and integrate nature’s benefits in enhancing resilience in land use and infrastructure planning, and large-scale adaptation project design and implementation. We also work with governments to update their protected area management plans to anticipate and manage climate change risks to species and habitats.
© WWF-Pakistan
Private sector resilience partnerships
Companies play a crucial role in managing climate risks in their supply chains, communities, and the natural systems they rely upon. WWF helps its corporate partners understand complex climate risks as a systems challenge, and then co-design holistic strategies to manage those risks. Implementing these strategies drives investment for building social-ecological resilience to climate change. These private sector solutions fundamentally value nature and benefit local livelihoods, communities and businesses.
WWF in action
© Jason Houston/WWF-US
ManglarIA
“AI for Mangroves” in Spanish, uses networks of sensors, sophisticated data collection methods, and artificial intelligence (AI) to better understand how mangroves are affected by climate change.
© Hkun Lat / WWF-US
Sustainable Infrastructure Programme in Asia
In partnership with the OECD, WWF is supporting governments in Southeast Asia to assess national priority areas for nature-based solutions for climate resilience.
© Nyal Mueenuddin WWF Pakistan
Recharge Pakistan
This project supports integrated flood risk management and ecosystem-based adaptation in Pakistan's Indus River Basin.
© Roshan Shahib
Flood Green Guide Youth Champions
The FGG Youth Champions program engages and empowers youth and young professionals to become change agents in their communities and advocates for nature-based approaches to flood management.
© WWF Guatemala / Mesoamérica
Smart Coasts
WWF, Stanford University, Center for Climate Systems Research at Columbia University, and local partners in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras used the latest ecosystem services and climate models, to design and pilot projects that use nature to help people adapt.