Two iconic shark species — oceanic whitetip and scalloped hammerhead — as well as many other sharks and rays inhabiting the open ocean are being pushed toward extinction. Main threat? Overfishing. How did we get here and what can be done to save them?
by Dr. Andy Cornish, WWF Global Shark Leader
You don’t forget your first time underwater with a school of scalloped hammerheads. The undulating way they swim together is a thing of beauty. I had travelled all the way to Mozambique to be surrounded by these predators, and was in awe. Years later, in the Red Sea…
All governments must more clearly make the links between protecting climate, nature and people, writes Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, WWF’s Global Lead Climate & Energy. He is also a former Minister of Environment for Peru and COP20 President.
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is a good example of the threat posed by climate change and the opportunities that aggressive climate action offers, being a vulnerable and biodiversity-rich region. Many governments have stepped forward with ambitious climate plans — but now they must turn those plans into action. And the ones who are yet to do so must follow suit. The region…
By Alex Lankester and David Bloch
The challenges the global environment is facing today are too big, too interconnected and too urgent for any single organisation or sector to solve alone. At WWF, we believe that determined collective action is needed to drive widespread positive change. We need strong partnerships with a variety of other stakeholders, including global businesses, to tackle the growing and dual challenges of nature loss and climate change.
This is why following many years of collaboration in South Africa and Russia, WWF and Mondi launched a global partnership in 2014 to tackle three of today’s biggest…
By Eric Wikramanayake, WWF Lead Asian Flyways Initiative
Boasting a wingspan of just 50 centimetres, the Red Knot somehow manages to migrate over 10,000 kilometres from Australia to its breeding grounds in the Arctic Circle — and then back again. Astonishingly, this small bird flies for up to a week without stopping to rest or feed: just one of the extraordinary tales of the great Asian Flyways.
World Migratory Bird Day is an opportunity to celebrate these long-distance bird migrations. To marvel at the variety of birds that are part of this ecological and evolutionary phenomenon — from cranes and…
On World Tuna Day, 2 May, we recognize the food security and economic benefits of these species. But we also must recognize the importance of keeping thriving tuna populations in the ocean, where they perform vital services.
by Giuseppe Di Carlo and Marcel Kroese, WWF Ocean Practice
In the dark days of 2020, as masked shoppers loaded up on staples to weather pandemic lockdowns, two items flew off the shelves: tuna and toilet paper. All of a sudden, the humble can of tuna was a buffer against uncertainty.
While we haven’t seen the last of COVID-19, most shoppers have stopped…
Build political momentum, drive sectoral transformation ahead of COP26; and recalibrate our efforts to tackle the destruction of nature
2021 should be a breakthrough year for climate and nature, writes WWF Global Lead for Climate & Energy Manuel Pulgar-Vidal and Gavin Edwards, WWF Global Coordinator, New Deal for Nature & People.
This week, US president Joe Biden will roll up his sleeves and re-engage with the international climate effort; it’s not a moment too soon. …
By Bonnie Chia, Head of Brand, Communications and Marketing, WWF International.
When Andy Ridley, the co-founder of Earth Hour, hired me back in 2012, I thought I had been given the world’s coolest job. Earth Hour was (and still is) one of the world’s largest grassroots movements for the environment. It had a fun, dynamic team that was digitally savvy and creative in coming up with ways to support, engage with and amplify the voices of Earth Hour supporters around the world, from big cities to rural towns to small island communities. It was an eye-opening experience, and a dream come true for me to work for such a noble cause.
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By Stuart Orr, WWF Global Freshwater Lead & Brian Richter, President of Sustainable Waters
In early January the New York Times published an article heralding growing investor interest in acquiring rights to water in the Western US. …
As COVID19 is forcing everyone to find new ways of connecting, Mediterranean fishers are increasingly catching up with digital technologies and innovation for sustainable development
By Simone Niedermueller, WWF Mediterranean Marine Initiative Regional Projects Manager
Last year, we had planned to take more than 30 fishers from the Mediterranean to visit one of the best community-led fisheries WWF is working with: Conil de la Frontera in Spain. Then COVID hit and our plans were dashed. To say we were disappointed — as were the fishers — is an understatement.
So, as the entire world moved to online platforms to continue…
Mariana Ferreira
Head of Science, WWF-Brazil
Co-Chair, IUCN WCPA COVID-19 Protected Areas Task Force
This week a year ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. In the course of a year, this novel virus has resulted in personal tragedies for millions, and huge economic and social setbacks, especially in the world’s most vulnerable countries.
In the first weeks of the pandemic, I recall people seeking small glimmers of hope in nature. There were headlines and gripping social media posts of nature bouncing back and a part of me wondered if there was some solace we could…
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