Stories

Beginning in the 1880s, humans built progressively larger diversions, dams, and reservoirs in the Rio Grande Basin, leaving less water for ecosystems, wildlife, and rivers themselves. By the 1990s, the impacts of climate change were already becoming obvious. And today, declining snowpack and increasing dryness have contributed to significant streamflow reductions in the Rio Grande Basin — with even more dire forecasts for the future.

Now, WWF and its partners, including Audubon New Mexico, have quantified flows and losses within six stretches of the Upper Rio Grande, and its tributary the Rio Chama. From these measurements, they developed seasonal environmental flow recommendations.

Recycling has become second nature for many Americans—a simple act that reflects a shared commitment to cleaner communities and a healthier planet. But while those blue bins are full of good intentions, not everything that goes in gets a second life. The good news? Innovative policies are helping close that gap, ensuring more materials are actually recycled and making the system more effective for everyone.

WWF’s Climate Crowd initiative—which studies how climate change is impacting people and landscapes and then implements on-the-ground solutions—found human-wildlife conflict to be a recurring theme in its data analysis. A recent Climate Crowd report, based on an analysis of over 3,000 key-informant interviews from communities living near biodiversity hotspots, found that a fourth of all interviews mention human-wildlife conflict as an impact of climate change. The results verified what many communities already know firsthand: the ways people and wildlife respond to climate stressors are deeply interconnected and often impact one another.

Seaweed and kelp are critical for life on Earth Forests and beds filter excess nutrients and sequester carbon through photosynthesis. 70% of our oxygen comes from the ocean, with kelp forests being an important contributor. Sadly, kelp forests are declining worldwide due to several factors, including overfishing, pollution, excess urchins, and warming waters. Kelp reforestation is a promising approach to restoring and protecting kelp forests.

This is a story of three Rio Grande basin locals, Adeline, Daniel, and Michael, whose lives are deeply connected to the Rio Grande basin. Through their voices, we see how the river lives in the hearts of those who love it.

A new global database helps define these vital habitats, where 40% of all species live or breed.

WWF and local community partners, research institutions, and government entities have deployed a network of sensors in two biosphere reserves on Mexico’s Pacific and Yucatan coasts. The sensors, which include weather stations, carbon flux towers, camera traps, and drones, are collecting data on climate and environmental variables associated with mangrove health.

Plastic reuse – enabling products or packaging to be used multiple times for their original purpose – .extends the life of the resources we do use, helps us use less plastic, and drives consumer behavior change. It's also good for business.

Currently, the law that protects endangered species, the Endangered Species Act (ESA), makes it clear that destroying habitat—the homes of endangered animals and plants—counts as "harm" and is illegal. The recently proposed reinterpretation would remove habitat destruction from this definition, making it much easier for developers to destroy the places where endangered wildlife and rare plants live.

Companies have an important role to play in land sector mitigation—that is, the reduction of greenhouse gases emitted from land use such as agriculture or forestry, and land’s ability to sequester carbon. Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) Guidance (FLAG( helps companies account for and address their land sector emissions.

WWF's Sanjana Ramesh explores her upbringing and the influence of South Asian women in conservation. They are policy advocates, wildlife veterinarians, seed savers, and educators—merging tradition with science, memory with innovation.

Wildebeest may be best known for their annual Great Migration in eastern Africa, the largest movement of animals in the world. However, this event is more than just an incredible natural phenomenon and tourist attraction—it also drives the crucial ecological processes that support the Serengeti Mara’s ability to adapt to the effects of climate change.

Through the FLIR system, high-powered thermal cameras equipped with night vision and artificial intelligence can detect humans, wildlife, or vehicle movements at night. The cameras will then send automated alerts back to the operator of the camera system, allowing staff to quickly respond.

When Tropical Cyclone Yasa hit Fiji in December 2020, it ravaged Nacula, redrawing the border between land and sea.

Sandhill cranes travel thousands of miles every year between their breeding grounds in the northern US, Canada, and even Siberia, and their wintering sites in the southern US and Mexico. Along the way, they rely on a few critical freshwater habitats to rest and refuel. 

How do we obtain necessary minerals while protecting the communities, ecosystems, and biodiversity we're also trying to save? The good news is that a new report shows it's possible: The impact of mining ETMs for the renewable energy transition is considerably smaller than that of fossil fuel extraction.

Sea otters are critical players in marine ecosystems and a keystone species, meaning they have a profound effect on their ecosystem. They are vital to kelp forests, ensuring the health and carbon storage abilities of these important ecosystems.

May 20th is World Bee Day, which is an opportunity to celebrate not only the beloved honey bee, but North America’s 4,000 species of native bees.

Whether they fly, swim, crawl, run, or flutter, wildlife can ignite curiosity and hope for our shared future.

Kelp farming is catching on in Maine as a way to sustain coastal workers while strengthening ecosystems. This story traces the journey of kelp from farm to table. 

Exciting new camera trap footage of a tigress and three cubs captured in Thailand helps show the result of decades of wild tiger conservation efforts to improve habitat, increase availability of prey, and reduce the threat of poaching across the country.

In June 2024, the Eskimo Walrus Commission coordinated with US Fish and Wildlife Service and US Geological Survey to bring Dana James, a St. Lawrence Island Yupik hunter from Gambell (Sivuqaq), on the 2024 Pacific walrus research cruise.

Nepal has announced its national estimate of the elusive snow leopard population, marking a major milestone in the conservation of this iconic Himalayan species. This landmark assessment, which compiled data from seven study regions, estimates Nepal’s snow leopard population at 397 individuals, a relatively stable population for the region. It’s the first robust estimate of the country’s snow leopard population, which until now, were only guestimates based on sign surveys—surveys of snow leopard tracks, scat, and tree scrapes—and habitat modeling. This information will be vital for informing future conservation strategies to conserve this threatened species.