Stories

It’s good news for the furry black and white bear that has come to symbolize wildlife conservation. China announced the results of its Fourth National Giant Panda Survey, which WWF supported with financial and technical expertise.

Rajkumar Praja, one of Nepal’s most wanted wildlife criminals, was arrested by an INTERPOL team in Malaysia and extradited to Nepal where he faces a lengthy spell in jail for rhino poaching and trafficking in rhino horns.

In an amazing tale of recovery, Amur leopard populations have more than doubled in just seven years. New census data reveals Amur leopards in Russia’s Land of the Leopard National Park now number at least 57 cats (up from just 30 cats in 2007). And an additional 8-12 leopards were counted in adjacent areas of China.

Hundreds of millions of people will switch off the lights for one designated hour – March 28th, 2015, at 8:30 pm local time—as individuals, businesses and world leaders join together in an iconic and unprecedented call for action on climate change.

Footage of a tiger and her playful cubs caught by a WWF camera trap is the first video evidence of wild Amur tigers in China. The footage was captured almost 20 miles from the Russian border late last year. In the past, tiger footprints were the only indicators of Amur tigers in China.

At the top of the food chain, whales play a vital role in the overall health of the environment. WWF documents and protects critical feeding and breeding areas, and migration routes of whales. We also work to help shift shipping lanes to limit noise and other disruptions for whales and other marine species.

Academy Award-winning actor, musician and director Jared Leto will become a WWF Global Ambassador, focusing on the most urgent, pressing issues facing our planet.

Unsustainable development alongside the Great Barrier Reef could cause severe damage to one of Earth’s most important marine environmental systems, according to a new report commissioned by WWF. In order to prevent new stress on this already-vulnerable ecosystem, WWF is calling on the Australian government to ban all dumping of dredge spoil in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Site.

From the underwater dance of seahorses to the enthusiastic leg-lifts of the peacock spider, the animal kingdom is full of quirky and intriguing methods to impress the opposite sex.

In February 2015, Nepal will host the first symposium focused on getting to zero poaching. Delegates from more than 13 Asian countries representing conservation agencies, police and prosecution services will share best practices, tools and technologies that can be used to respond to the poaching crisis.

A new survey of monarch habitat shows a 69% increase in forest area over the last year. Yet this is still the second smallest area occupied by these butterflies in Mexican sanctuaries since 1993.

With demand for ivory at an all-time high, the campaign asks people to imagine a life without elephants by publicly removing the Thai letter representing elephants—“Chor Chang”—from their names. The Thai word for elephant, “Chang,” starts with the letter in the Thai alphabet called “Chor”. By removing Chor Chang from their names, Thai people are making a statement that they want the illegal trade in ivory to stop or their beloved national animal—the elephant—could disappear.

In recognition of the leadership role the US must play in the Arctic, especially to address climate change impacts, President Obama has announced an Executive Order that will help the US government coordinate work in the management of the Arctic and its precious resources.

Dalavapuram lies in the Ashtamudi lakes estuary on the southwest coast of India. It is home to a Ramsar Convention site where the intertwined lakes and inlets form a very important estuary system for migratory birds. This is also the home of Ashtamudi short-necked clam fishery, which in November 2014 became the first Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified sustainable fishery in India.

Last night’s State of the Union Address was critically important in a year when there will need to be major international agreement on climate change action.

The population of wild tigers in the country increased to 2,226 in 2014 from 1,706 in 2010, according to the new report. This growth is largely due to better management and improved protection. The Status of Tigers in India, 2014 report also underscores the importance of tigers maintaining core habitats for breeding, habitat connectivity and protection from poaching.

We’re all familiar with the common bass and trout living in our rivers and lakes. But the underwater freshwater world gets wackier than those basic swimmers.

A tuna fishing vessel operating in the offshore waters of Pakistan safely released a giant sunfish that was entangled in its fishing net. After a struggle of about 20 minutes, the fishermen successfully freed this nearly six-foot-long sunfish weighing nearly 1,000 pounds.

Trees are cut down at a rapid rate to meet the demand for products we all use. Some are products that often are on our weekly shopping lists, such as toilet paper, diapers and tissues. What if we used something other than newly-harvested trees to create these products?

Joe Sirotnak, a federal botanist in Big Bend National Park, and his colleagues are focused on restoring and protecting the Rio Grande/Bravo River. This involves removing invasive plants that threaten the natural environment, re-vegetating tributaries that fuel the river, and coordinating crews to help with all these processes.

The government of Bhutan and nonprofit organizations also are doing their part to create jobs in rural communities. WWF is helping educate homeowners how to turn their homes into lodging for tourists.