Stories

An impressive 742 new species of wildlife and plants have been identified in the Congo Basin from 2013 to 2023, highlighting the region's remarkable biodiversity and an urgent need to protect one of the world's most vital ecosystems.

An exchange between Tanzania and Indonesia helps benefit both the nutrition and income needs of coastal communities as well as the health of marine ecosystems.

Large herbivores, like the plains bison in North America’s grasslands, keep habitats and ecosystems intact and vibrant at a time when nature is facing devastating losses.

This year’s COP in many ways proved difficult to pin down. Branded as the “Finance COP,” the final decision was decidedly mixed. 

A much-anticipated announcement on the commitment to a new climate finance goal came together in the wee hours after COP29 was slated to end, providing a target of $300 billion in annual mobilized finance by 2035 by developed countries to help developing countries transition to clean energy and combat the impacts of climate change. However, many in the Global South felt disappointed in this result given the number required for them to address climate change by 2035 is estimated at over $1 trillion per year. While not clearly defined, the language of the agreement provides an opportunity for private sector finance and market mechanisms to generate additional capital to close the gap in needed finance.

For five generations, the Williams family harvested crops in the Mississippi Delta, from sharecroppers to farm owners. Today, their Delta Dirt Distillery is part of a small group of people farming differently in the Mississippi Delta.

Climate activist Peter Pham is the recipient of the WWF-US Youth Conservation Leadership Award for 2024. This prestigious award is given annually to a young conservation leader for outstanding contributions to the environmental field.

The Climate COP is halfway over and, to put it simply: while things have been urgent for some time, we have now come to a dire moment.

The US is now looking ahead to a new administration and Congress. But what won't change is the dire need to protect nature. No matter who holds power in Washington, WWF’s priorities remain steady: protect nature and reduce the most pressing threats to Earth’s diversity of life.

Nationally determined contributions, or NDCs, represent each country’s plan for how it aims to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, which is to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Azerbaijan will host the 29th UN climate negotiations, called COP29 for short. One of the key elements connecting this COP to the others is finance–-because with all that needs doing in order to reach our climate goals of limiting global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, and in order to protect our communities from the impacts of climate change that are already happening, the one essential element that all our efforts share is a need for capital.

For three days in September, more than 80 people gathered in Lima, Peru to map a future for ocean conservation.

Known for their distinctive humps, camels are synonymous with desert environments. In their domesticated state, they provide vital resources such as milk, meat, wool, and transportation to pastoral communities in Africa and Asia, particularly in regions like northern Kenya. However, their importance in ecological and climate resilience is not as widely known. Camels, both in the wild and in their domesticated state, are essential to sustaining more arid ecosystems such as deserts, prairies, and steppes, along with the communities who live there.

This is the last critical moment to prevent irreversible economic, health, and environmental damage from plastic pollution. Read on to learn more about the negotiations, WWF’s role in enacting change, and why we must reach an agreement.

Vultures are nature’s dedicated waste management specialists; they help with nutrient cycling and even reduce the spread of disease. In the US, we have turkey vultures, black vultures, and endangered California condors, but worldwide we’re currently sharing the planet with 23 vulture species. Vultures typically have bald heads and excellent vision, and some, like the turkey vulture, even have a keen sense of smell. They’re fascinating birds and we’d like to share a few ways we consider vultures to be nature’s influencers.

Rapid climate crisis-driven changes are underway in the Arctic that will not only alter the pristine environment but redefine geopolitical stability at the top of the world. A new analysis from WWF offers data-driven insights into the challenges ahead and a roadmap for global cooperation. 

With the signing of a new memorandum of understanding to build a Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiative, Bolivia has taken another major step for the future of nature. A PFP initiative promises secured financing and an equitable distribution of conservation benefits for generations to come.

The inaugural Thomas E. Lovejoy Prize was awarded to two exceptional leaders bringing innovative approaches to advance the conservation of the Amazon rain forest.

Luo Xiaoyun began photographing wildlife in 2013. He has been on a mission to capture images of the incredible wildlife of the Tibetan Plateau. He has seen snow leopards about 100 times, and recorded lesser-known behaviors of this shy and elusive big cat.

Bhutan collaborated to pioneer a revolutionary pilot study on the effectiveness of eDNA sampling in assessing biodiversity. As such, the country is poised to become a global leader in using eDNA technology for conservation purposes.

In May 2024, WWF's Environment & Disaster Management program team traveled to Madagascar to build capacity for and conduct a Rapid Environmental Assessment with local governments, organizations, and communities.

A new report sheds light on the often-overlooked ways that wildlife benefits people, helping us to understand how deeply interconnected we are to the natural world.

For 30 years the Russell E. Train Education for Nature Program has provided financial support to conservation leaders in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to gain the skills and knowledge they need to address the conservation challenges in their home countries. 

There is growing understanding among institutions and organizations that involving youth in initiatives, partnerships, and decision-making is key for the success of any effort. We based WWF staff, both junior and senior alike: why are youth voices valuable in conservation?