WWF looks to big data and forensics to tackle the illegal wood trade and prevent the degradation of forests.

Forests in Asia, home to elephants, tigers and other endangered species—are often cleared to make room for growing rubber trees. They are among the most threatened forests in the world. That’s why WWF has set an ambitious goal of transforming the global rubber market.

Bhutan is at the heart of the Eastern Himalayas, which supplies one-third of the world’s freshwater. And the country’s forests help keep climate change at bay by absorbing carbon dioxide. Bhutan is one of the world’s 10 most biodiverse countries. But Bhutan’s natural resources are on the brink of being more threatened now than ever before, despite the government’s political will and conservation milestones. Why? The country has changed more in the last 50 years than the past 500 years combined.

A recently signed peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the leftwing guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) opens the door to restoring the health of the country’s natural resources, as well as preventing further damage or loss to them. 

WWF and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation are the first partners in an initiative to protect Peru, which is based on an innovative funding approach called Project Finance for Permanence that has been used in Brazil. The goal of the initiative is to ensure the long-term sustainability of the public land within Peru’s network of protected areas.