Climate

Adaptation and Resilience



Helping the world adapt to climate change in harmony with nature

Boat in ocean

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. 

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

Trees bend in the tropical storm wind along North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard as Hurricane Irma hits the southern part of the state in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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.



two people talking

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.



tiger in field

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.



extreme heat graphs

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.



two people shaking hands over award

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. This data collected and analyzed through this project will allow us to better protect the important ecosystem services mangroves provide, including carbon sequestration and coastal protection. ManglarIA seeks to create a model for data collection and analysis that can inform climate-smart ecosystem management worldwide.

  • 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. These assessments inform decision making in transportation infrastructure development planning. In a similar initiative, WWF is working with the Center for Large Landscape Conservation under Asia’s Linear Infrastructure safeguarding Nature (ALIGN) project. ALIGN enhances and improves capacity for linear infrastructure safeguards that rely on nature-based approaches to build resilience to changes in climate.

  • Shaun Martin

    Securing water for farming communities

    In Guatemala, WWF and the Coca-Cola Company are addressing the impacts of long-term drought on water resources, communities, farmers, and the Sierra de las Minas protected area. The combined impacts of climate change and human activity on forests contribute to frequent droughts, crop failures, malnutrition, displacement, respiratory issues from fires, and social conflict. By protecting and restoring forests in the protected area, our efforts ensure people living and working in this drought-prone region have access to the water they need for their livelihoods.

  • Nyal_Mueenuddin_WWF_Pakistan

    Recharge Pakistan

    This project supports integrated flood risk management and ecosystem-based adaptation in Pakistan's Indus River Basin. Interventions aim to reverse potential flood damage over several years, starting from the Himalayan glaciers down to the Indian Ocean. Recharge Pakistan will directly benefit more than 680,000 people , and help the Government of Pakistan achieve its national climate change goals.

  • Roshan Shahib

    Flood Green Guide Youth Champions

    Globally, flooding is the most common disaster risk affecting people of all ages. And while children and youth represent more than half of the world's population, they are rarely involved in disaster management efforts. 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. Projects included restoring coastal dunes and mangroves and prioritizing new protections to protect the most populous areas. An interactive mapping viewer shows climate risks and priority areas for adaptation interventions.