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| Founders | Julian Huxley[1][2] Max Nicholson Peter Scott Guy Mountfort |
|---|---|
| Type | Charitable trust |
| Founded | September 11, 1961 Morges, Switzerland |
| Headquarters | Gland, Switzerland |
| Staff | HE Chief Emeka Anyaoku |
| Area served | World wide |
| Focus | Environmentalism |
| Method | Lobbying, research, consultancy |
| Revenue | €447 million (2008)[3] |
| Motto | For a Living Planet |
| Website | wwf.org/panda.org |
The World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in the United States and Canada. It is the world's largest independent conservation organization with over 5 million supporters worldwide, working in more than 90 countries, supporting around 1300 [4] conservation and environmental projects around the world. It is a charity, with approximately 60% of its funding coming from voluntary donations by private individuals. 45% of the fund's income comes from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.[3]
The group says its mission is "to halt and reverse the destruction of our environment".[5] Currently, much of its work focuses on the conservation of three biomes that contain most of the world's biodiversity: forests, freshwater ecosystems, and oceans and coasts. Among other issues, it is also concerned with endangered species, pollution and climate change.
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History
The organization was formed as a charitable trust on September 11, 1961, in Morges, Switzerland, under the name World Wildlife Fund. It was an initiative of Julian Huxley and Max Nicholson, who had thirty years experience of linking progressive intellectuals with big business interests through the Political and Economic Planning think tank. There is also a head office in Toronto, Canada for the Canadian Fund.
In its deed of foundation, the organization stated its original mission to be the "conservation of world fauna, flora, forests, landscape, water, soils and other natural resources by the management of land, research and investigation, and publicity, coordination of efforts, cooperation with other interested parties and all other appropriate means."[6]
In the last few years, the organization set up offices and operations around the world. The initial focus of its activities was the protection of endangered species. As more resources became available, its operations expanded into other areas such as the preservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of natural resources, and the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
In 1986, the organization changed its name to World Wide Fund for Nature, to better reflect the scope of its activities, retaining the WWF initials. However, it continues to operate under the original name in the United States and Canada.[7]
We shan't save all we should like to, but we shall save a great deal more than if we had never tried. — Sir Peter Scott [7]
WWF has been accused by a number of environmental groups and campaigners, such as Corporate Watch and PR Watch of being too close to businesses to campaign objectively.[citation needed] Their own Corporate Club provides promotional opportunities for companies to use the WWF name and logo as a promotional tool. Currently WWF is working with Coca-Cola, Nokia, Canon, and others to make conservation commitments.[8]
Previous donors have included Chevron,Exxon and Telekids (each donating more than $50,000 in 1989), Philip Morris, Mobil, and Morgan Guaranty Trust.[citation needed]
Presidents
| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 1962-1976 | HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands |
| 1976–1981 | John H Loudon |
| 1981–1996 | HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh |
| 1996–1999 | Syed Babar Ali |
| 2000 | Ruud Lubbers |
| 2000–2001 | Hon. Sara Morrison |
| 2001–present | Chief Emeka Anyaoku |
| from 2010 | Chief Yolanda Kakabadse |
1001 Club
In the early 1970s, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and Prince Philip of the United Kingdom, together with a few associates, set up the 1001 Nature Trust, its purpose being to cover the administrative and fund-raising aspects of the WWF. The club garnered 1001 members who each contributed $10,000 to the trust.[7]
Abbreviation dispute
In 2000, the World Wide Fund for Nature sued the World Wrestling Federation (now named World Wrestling Entertainment) for unfair trade practices. Both parties had shared the initials "WWF" since late 1979. The conservation organization claimed that the wrestling company had violated a 1994 agreement regarding international use of the WWF initials.[10][11]
On August 10, 2001, a British court ruled in favor of the World Wide Fund for Nature. The World Wrestling Federation filed an appeal in October 2001. However, on May 5, 2002, the World Wrestling Federation changed its Web address from wwf.com to WWE.com, and replaced every "WWF" reference on the existing site with "WWE", as a prelude to changing the company's name to "World Wrestling Entertainment." Its stock ticker also switched from WWF to WWE.
Abandonment of the initialism did not end the two organizations' legal conflict. Later in 2002, the World Wide Fund for Nature petitioned the court for $360 million in damages, but the wrestling company prevailed. A subsequent request to overturn by the World Wide Fund for Nature was dismissed by the English Court of Appeals on June 28, 2007. In 2003, World Wrestling Entertainment won a limited decision which permitted them to continue marketing certain pre-existing products with the abandoned WWF logo. However, the wrestling company was obliged to issue newly-branded merchandise such as apparel, action figures, video games, and DVDs with the "WWE" initials. Additionally, the court order required the company to remove both spoken and visual references to "WWF" in its library of video footage (which spans several decades) outside of the United Kingdom.
Publications
The WWF publish the Living Planet Index in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London. Along with their ecological footprint calculations the index is used to produce a two yearly Living Planet Report to give an overview of the impact of human activity on the world.
Cambodia controversy
In June 2009, Touch Seang Tana, chairman of Cambodia's Commission for Conservation and Development of the Mekong River Dolphins Eco-tourism Zone, charged that the WWF had misrepresented the danger of extinction of the Mekong Dolphin in order to boost fundraising.[12] He called the WWF report unscientific and harmful to the Cambodian government. He also threatened the Cambodian branch of WWF with suspension unless they met with him to discuss his charges.[13]
WWF in music
No One's Gonna Change Our World was a charity album released in 1969 for the benefit of the WWF.
Peter Rose and Anne Conlon are music theatre writers, well known for their environmental musicals for children, who were commissioned by WWF-UK to write several environmental musicals as part of an education plan. Some were narrated by Sir David Attenborough, and broadcast on television in numerous countries.
See also
- Conservation movement
- Environmental movement
- Eugene Green Energy Standard founded by the WWF
- Global 200, ecoregions identified by the WWF as priorities for conservation
- Natural environment
- Sustainability
- TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is a joint programme of WWF and IUCN - the World Conservation Union
- World Conservation Award, created in conjunction with the WWF
References
- ^ WWF FAQ: Who were the founders of WWF?
- ^ WWF FAQ: Where and when was WWF founded?
- ^ a b http://panda.org/wwf_quick_facts.cfm
- ^ http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/project/
- ^ Finland - Organization of the World Wildlife Fund
- ^ FAQ: What was the original motivation for WWF's founders?
- ^ a b c WWF Finland - History of WWF International (English)
- ^ Corporate Partnerships, Worldwildlife.org
- ^ WWF Presidents of the Organization over its history
- ^ InternetNews Realtime IT News – Wildlife Fund Pins Wrestling Federation
- ^ Text of the 1994 legal agreement with the World Wrestling Federation
- ^ "Mekong dophins dispute". http://english.cri.cn/6966/2009/06/24/2001s496246.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
- ^ "Cambodia threatens to suspend WWF after dolphin report". http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1485572.php/Cambodia_threatens_to_suspend_WWF_after_dolphin_report_. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: WWF |
- Panda.org, WWF international Web site
- [1], WWF's global network
- WWF.mobi, WWF international mobile website
- WWF YouTube channel
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