Publications

The Western Pacific region is a WWF-US priority seascape where WWF supports integrated management of marine resources to conserve ecosystems that benefit the planet, people, prosperity, and peace.

This paper explores how to restore environmental water flows in the Rio Grande‚ÄìRio Bravo basin, a river system that spans 1900 miles from Colorado to Texas, and has been heavily altered over the past century, primarily for agricultural irrigation. Despite these changes, the river still supports critical ecosystems and endangered species. The authors, including WWF's Enrique Prunes, developed the first full-basin hydrologic model for the region to assess how much water is needed to restore ecological flows and how those needs could be met. They found that by reducing irrigation through crop shifting and fallowing‚ – without reducing farmers‚' net income‚ – it is possible to restore key low-flow conditions in parts of the river, such as near Albuquerque, New Mexico. This approach offers a promising path to balance agricultural needs with ecological restoration in a water-scarce region.

This TNRC guide suggests six steps for bringing political economy analysis (PEA) findings into a theory of change (ToC) for a project or program. It aims to provide a practical means for conservationists to navigate political economy (PE) in contexts where they work. While a ToC explains the logic of a project, a PEA, which looks at the influence of power, helps get to the heart of what needs to change for a project to work. But practitioners often find it challenging to use PEA in practice.

The Playbook for Nature-Positive Infrastructure Development is a strategic guide jointly developed by WWF, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), and AECOM, a leading global consulting engineering firm. It addresses the critical role of infrastructure in sustainable growth and poverty reduction while highlighting the potential environmental harm caused by poorly planned projects. With the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework emphasizing the importance of conserving and restoring natural ecosystems, integrating nature-based solutions into infrastructure design becomes imperative. This playbook equips engineers and conservationists with essential tools and practical examples to seamlessly incorporate environmental considerations and sustainability principles into their projects, aligning with the global mission to protect and restore natural ecosystems.

Please see here for the added section on procurement . This chapter aims to help users understand the impact of their supply chain and start to establish clear goals and objectives for active engagement with their key suppliers and service providers.

In June 2024, the playbook won an Environment Analyst‚'s Sustainability Delivery Award in the Nature Positive category.

WWF is dedicated to supporting small-scale fisheries and implementing cold-chain solutions to enhance resilience and protect livelihoods. WWF executed a cross-functional exploration of cold-chain interventions within the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO) region. Organized by WWF‚'s Climate, Oceans, and Food practices, this study focused on an integrated approach to fisheries management in the Southwest Indian Ocean region highlighted challenges like overexploitation and food loss due to inadequate cold-chain infrastructure. 

Read a summary of this report.

Contact: Pete Pearson, Senior Director, Food Waste

Despite what we‚'ve been told, plastic is not cheap. Its production and disposal‚ – and the pollution it causes come with high social, environmental, and economic costs, borne primarily by communities and governments.

Moreover, there are disparities in the distribution of these costs within and between countries. A WWF-commissioned report developed by Dalberg reveals for the first time the scale of these disparities. It estimates that the true full lifetime cost of plastic is eight times higher in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries. For low-income countries in particular, the full lifetime cost of plastic rises to 10 times that of high-income countries.

In the absence of global regulation and standards, communities across low- and middle-income countries are being exposed to the most harmful effects of plastic production and pollution, including air pollution, increased risk of flooding, the spread of infectious diseases, threats to livelihoods, and unsafe working conditions.

These exposures and risks at a local and global level reflect important structural inequities across the entire plastic value chain. Despite national and voluntary efforts, plastic pollution has only got worse and it‚'s set to triple by 2040 unless urgent action is taken. A comprehensive approach featuring jointly developed global rules, accompanied by effective means of implementation, would empower low- and middle-income countries with more control over the plastics in their markets, increase the value of end-of-use plastics, and remove the most harmful and problematic plastics that are most costly to manage and which damage human health and pollute the environment. The negotiations of a global treaty to end plastic pollution which commenced in March 2022 present a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address the plastic pollution crisis once and for all. 

World Wildlife Fund and the Boston Consulting Group have completed an analysis to improve our understanding of the risks and impacts associated with the rapid transition to renewable energy and propose a framework for policymakers to achieve an energy transition that avoids and minimizes impacts on communities and nature and facilitates a nature-positive future. This report sheds light on the impacts on nature if we do not take action on the climate crisis versus rapidly scaling up renewable infrastructure in order to have a more sustainable, livable climate future. The results of the analysis emphasize that a rapid transition is dramatically better for nature and society in key areas including mining, air quality, water quality, ecosystems and biodiversity, human well-being, and land area footprint. Renewables can and should be scaled up more aggressively but scaled up thoughtfully and responsibly. This includes making sure decision-makers have access to the tools and resources required to make evidence-based decisions to mitigate and/or minimize harm to nature when planning and installing renewable energy infrastructure.

The lack of effective refrigeration is the leading cause of food loss and waste, which resulted in the loss of 12% of global food production in 2017. Moreover, cold-chain technologies and food loss and waste are responsible for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As part of a systems-based approach to transforming entire fishery supply chains to make them more resilient and sustainable, cold-chains solutions must be delivered alongside strong governance mechanisms to ensure sustainable fisheries practices. The current report presents the findings of research conducted by WWF and Open Capital Advisors for scaling cold-chain solutions across the Southwest Indian Ocean region.

Read the full Cool, Blue Food report.

Watch the full webinar covering Cool, Blue Foods.

Bhutan for Life

Sustainable Financing Mechanisms Feasibility Assessment: Expression of Interest

WWF‚'s 2023 Plowprint Report analyzes the rate of grasslands plow-up across the US, and Canadian portions of the Great Plains.