X

Australia and the Amazon recently experienced unprecedented fire seasons. In response, WWF raised money for on-the-ground response efforts and provided guidance to governments on necessary wildlife survival interventions. Going forward, WWF will work to ensure unburned habitat is protected while restoring species and habitats with a strong focus on climate resilience and connectivity. Credit: Marizilda Cruppe / WWF-UK

Sunda pangolin. Zoonotic diseases like COVID-19—ones that jump from animals to humans—occur when human activities encroach on wild places and species. WWF is working to reduce the harmful practices that lead to zoonotic diseases and mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 on communities and conservation programs. Credit: Suzi Eszterhas / Wild Wonders of China / WWF

Aerial photo of Orinoco River and tepui of Colombia. Through their Earth for Life initiative, WWF works with partners to create and expand proper management of conservation areas using a novel financial approach. WWF has helped create programs in Brazil, Bhutan, Peru, and Colombia. Credit: Day’s Edge Productions

Community members digging for Devil’s Claw in Bwabwata National Park, Namibia. In countries around the world, WWF strives to balance the needs of people and wildlife through community-driven initiatives. Credit: Gareth Bently / WWF-US

Bison released into newly expanded range at Badlands National Park. WWF helped raise funds to make the expansion possible. This is the first time since 1877 that bison have set foot on this part of the prairie. WWF leads innovative work with public agencies, tribal nations, ranchers, and other partners to create a sustainable future for North America’s Northern Great Plains. Credit: Clay Bolt / WWF-US

Tiger mother and cub age four months, Ranthambhore, Rajhasthan, India. India is home to approximately two-thirds of the world’s wild tigers. In 2019, a WWF-supported tiger survey found an estimated 2,967 tigers—an indicator of growing or stable populations. WWF is dedicated to stabilize and increase populations of many of the world’s most iconic and threatened species. Credit: naturepl.com / Andy Rouse / WWF


World Wildlife Foundation
2019 – $5,000 Amazon Rainforest Relief

In 1961, a small group of ardent naturalists and conservationists created the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to “conserve the world’s fauna, flora, forests, landscape, water, soils, and other natural resources.” Until that time, conservation had been largely the domain of scientists. The group launched a public appeal to save the black rhino, whose numbers had dwindled to less than 2,500 animals. Thanks to persistent conservation actions across Africa, black rhino numbers have doubled from their historic low 20 years ago.

With a 60-year history of results, a foundation grounded in science, and a global network, WWF is dedicated to addressing conservation challenges on a grand scale. WWF works in partnership with others across multiple sectors and industries to protect the world’s most important ecosystems and their species and habitats; strengthen local communities’ ability to conserve natural resources; transform markets and policies; and mobilize millions of people to support conservation. WWF is organized around six goals—Climate, Forests, Freshwater, Oceans, Sustainable Food, and Wildlife—that support its mission and foster innovation.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, WWF-US is an independent affiliate of the international WWF
Network and plays an important role in WWF’s conservation programs all over the world. WWF
works in 100 countries and has 1.2 million members in the United States and more than five million supporters globally.

WWF partners with a wide range of groups and individuals to protect iconic wildlife, conserve vast land and waterscapes, and promote community livelihoods and economies. Thanks to the commitment of donors, members, and partners, WWF tackles solutions that build a better tomorrow for both people and nature. Most recently, WWF:

  • Worked with public and private partners across 13 countries to double the global tiger population by 2022, the year of the Tiger. 
  • Restored bison to America’s Northern Great plains, including the newly established 27,680-acre Wolakota Buffalo Range on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota and slated to become North America’s largest Native American owned and managed bison herd. 
  • Created a Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online with major e-commerce companies, including Tencent, Ebay, and Etsy, which to date have blocked or removed more than three million listings of endangered and threatened species and associated wildlife products from their online platforms.
  • Completed a survey of Fiji’s Great Sea Reef, which harbors approximately 40% of the known plant and animal species in Fiji and supplies as much as 80% of the fish caught for the domestic fisheries industry. 
  • Developed new climate action coalitions made up of businesses, local governments, community leaders and other stakeholders to champion a zero-carbon transition in key countries such as Vietnam, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina, Japan, and most recently Brazil.
  • Helped prevent the next pandemic by addressing pressures on nature—including wildlife consumption and deforestation–that lead to zoonotic diseases like COVID-19.  

Emergency Amazon Fire Fund

WWF is grateful to the Seed Fund for supporting the Emergency Amazon Fire Fund. In 2019, more than 27,000 square miles of the Brazilian Amazon and 19,300 square miles of Bolivia burned. Communities—as well as jaguars, tapirs, and other threatened wildlife—lost their homes, as volunteers worked arduously to extinguish fires with little to no training and only basic equipment. WWF raised more than $1.4 million that helped furnish firefighting equipment—including gloves, protective goggles, machetes, chainsaws, water pumps, hoses; and even food, water, and medical supplies–for impacted communities. The Fund also provided communication radios and GPS, car rentals, and fuel to deliver supplies in remote areas, as well as equipment and training to monitor ongoing fires and provide alerts to those at risk. To mitigate the threat of future fires, local organizations, communities, and key partners used WWF funding to launch fire awareness campaigns and convene fire management and prevention workshops.

worldwildlife.org