The final step in the process of creating global standards for bivalve aquaculture began today, when the Bivalve Aquaculture Dialogue kicked off the last public comment period for its draft standards.

China, Europe, India, Brazil and dozens of other developed and developing countries announced specific steps to fight climate change, meeting yesterday’s deadline to submit such commitments under the Copenhagen Accord.  While yesterday was the official deadline for submitting targets, countries may continue to sign on and associate themselves with the agreement.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is greatly saddened by the passing on January 22nd of former WWF Executive Director Godfrey A.Rockefeller.

Governments from across Asia’s tiger range countries (TRCs) sent a powerful message that new efforts to save wild tigers from extinction would begin immediately and called for total protection of critical tiger habitats as the 1st Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation concluded today at the resort of Hua Hin, Thailand.

The last meeting of the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue, scheduled for March 4-5 in Vietnam, will be dedicated to presenting and discussing feedback on the draft standards for responsible pangasius farming that were submitted by 170 people during the Dialogue’s final public comment period.

Tiger numbers have fallen by more than 70 percent in slightly more than a decade in the Greater Mekong, with the region’s five countries containing only 350 tigers, according to a new World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report released today.

The ANOVA Food Group alliance of companies joined other business leaders and NGOs participating in the Coral Triangle Business Summit to highlight the benefits of seafood sustainability efforts and expand business partnerships across the region.  ANOVA provides seafood to approximately 20 percent of the top 100 restaurant chains in the United States as well as 40 percent of US grocery chains. 

WASHINGTON, DC, January 19, 2010 – World Wildlife Fund announced today that Earth Hour 2010 will take place on Saturday, March 27 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, with many of the nation’s most iconic landmarks dimming their lights for one hour in what is expected to be the largest call for action on climate change in history.

One of the world’s largest tiger populations could disappear by the end of this century as rising sea levels caused by climate change destroy their habitat along the coast of Bangladesh in an area known as the Sundarbans, according to a new World Wildlife Fund-led study published in the journal Climatic Change. 

A new study by WWF scientists and partner organizations has found global climate change could shrink Bangladesh’s Sundarbans tiger habitat by 96 percent, potentially reducing the tiger population to fewer than 20 breeding individuals. An estimated sea level rise of 11.2 inches above 2000 levels by 2070 means this unique mangrove ecosystem could disappear within half a century.

Our hearts and minds are with the people of Haiti as they cope with the aftermath of the earthquake. Many of WWF’s humanitarian partners are already in the process of getting aid to the country – our colleagues from the CARE/WWF Alliance and the American Red Cross are two such examples. We encourage you to contribute to these efforts via the links below or by contribution to other organizations working now to bring relief to the people of Haiti.

Draft standards for the shrimp aquaculture industry will be presented and discussed at the next meeting of the Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue, to be held March 9-10 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Feedback from the meeting will be used to ensure that the final standards adequately address the key negative environmental and social impacts associated with shrimp farming.

The Sustainable Furnishings Council and World Market Center, in cooperation with World Wildlife Fund, Rainforest Alliance, Forest Stewardship Council and numerous other leading governmental, environmental, academic and trade organizations is launching the first cross-disciplinary ECOngress on legal and sustainable wood sourcing in the home furnishings industry in conjunction with Winter Market in Las Vegas. All media, materials suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and designers are strongly encouraged to attend all or part of the one-day event on Jan. 31, 2010, the day prior to the opening day of the February 2010 Las Vegas Market, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. in World Market Center’s Building C, on the 8th floor, Room C-888. Registration is free.

Camera traps set deep in the Indonesian jungle have captured first-time video footage of a rare female Sumatran tiger and her cubs, giving World Wildlife Fund (WWF) researchers unique insight into the elusive tiger’s behavior.

Video cameras installed in the Sumatran jungle have captured close-up footage of a tiger and two cubs, the first time that WWF has recorded evidence of tiger breeding in central Sumatra in what should be prime tiger habitat. The images have led to renewed calls for stronger measures against poaching and the rapid deforestation of tiger landscapes on the Indonesian island. 

WWF bids farewell to “Billy” Arjan Singh, 92, the legendary Indian tiger conservationist who passed away on Jan 1, 2010.

From the Amazon to the Arctic, WWF is building a future where human needs are met in harmony with nature. We are strategically focusing on conserving critical places and species while also working to reduce humanity's ecological footprint. Our experts are active at every level, collaborating with governments, industry and communities the world over to conserve the largest tropical rain forests, the most diverse coral reefs, and the world’s most endangered species.

Here are a few highlights of WWF’s successes in 2009 made possible by your generous support.

World Wildlife Fund today issued the following statement today from WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts in response to President Obama’s speech before the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen:

“In coming to Copenhagen at the critical final stage of this two-year process, President Obama outlined the building blocks of a deal and expressed his conviction that work still needs to be done.  He has put an emissions target on the table and pledged his commitment to long-term climate financing – both critical pieces of a final deal.‪

WASHINGTON, DC, December 17, 2009 – Global standards addressing the negative impacts of tilapia farming on the environment and society are finalized. They represent the first set of final standards produced through the Aquaculture Dialogues, a series of roundtables coordinated by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

World Wildlife Fund today issued the following statement today from WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts in response to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech before the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen:

World Wildlife Fund today issued the following statement today from WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts in response to Senator John F. Kerry’s (D-Mass.) speech before the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen:

As the lights were turned back on at the conclusion of the special Earth Hour Hopenhagen, UN Chef de Cabinet, Vijay Nambiar, told the city that Copenhagen could usher in a new era of hope.

World Wildlife Fund issued the following statement today from Bill Eichbaum, WWF’s Vice President of Marine and Arctic Policy, following release of the Ocean Policy Task Force’s Recommendations on Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning.

A global climate agreement and US legislation will help businesses innovate, become more efficient and profitable, and create millions of new jobs, said the chief executives of four major corporations at a business roundtable event hosted by World Wildlife Fund today. The event took place during the United Nation’s global climate negotiations in Copenhagen.

World Wildlife Fund today issued the following statement from WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts in Washington DC, following President Obama’s awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize.

A trio of Senate leaders today outlined the framework of a bi-partisan climate change bill that could pass the chamber early next year.  The announcement is expected to bolster the climate talks underway in Copenhagen, where US legislation is universally regarded as a critical element of any global agreement.

An unprecedented combination of climate change and increasing human pressures could have a devastating effect on coral reefs in the near shore areas of Southern Madagascar.

As 192 nations convene in Copenhagen today to negotiate a new global climate deal, the prospects of reaching a successful outcome have never been greater following major announcements over the past week by the US, China, India and South Africa, said officials from World Wildlife Fund.

Recently WWF and partners undertook a risky operation to drain Thorthormi Glacial Lake in Bhutan. Thorthormi lake is perched at 14,527 feet above sea level in the remote Lunana area of northern Bhutan. Because of climate change, melt water has swollen this glacial lake. Rated as one of Bhutan’s likeliest future catastrophes, an outburst flood through Thorthormi’s unstable walls would release up to 14 million gallons of water and debris into the upper catchment of the Po Chu river and surrounding communities.

World Wildlife Fund today applauded the passage of a House bill introduced by Representative Henry Brown (R-SC) that will raise funds to save endangered species around the world.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today released its annual list of some of the most threatened species around the world, saying that the long-term survival of many animals is increasingly in doubt due to a host of threats, including climate change, and calling for a step up in efforts to save some of the world’s most threatened animals.

Rhino poaching worldwide is on the rise, according to a new report by TRAFFIC and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The following statement was issued today by World Wildlife Fund’s Climate Program Director Keya Chatterjee in response to the announcement that President Obama will attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark from December 7-18.

Three Amur leopards photographed during an anti-poaching operation in the Russian Far East offer a little Thanksgiving hope for the world’s rarest big cat, World Wildlife Fund said today. Only about 40 critically endangered Amur leopards exist in the wild, so the photograph of three healthy individuals around a kill is good news for the future of the sub-species.

Fewer trees were cut down in the Amazon this year, creating an opportunity to apply sound government policies to halt deforestation in other damaged forests, WWF says.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the leading insurer Allianz SE released a report today warning that sea level rise could dramatically increase risks to buildings, transportation infrastructure and other assets exposed to severe storm surges in coastal areas of the U.S. The study estimates that current assets at risk to a 1-in-100-year storm surge amount to $1.4 trillion. A mid-century global sea level rise of 0.5 meters (20 inches), with an additional 0.15 meter (6 inches) localized rise along the northeast U.S. coast, could jeopardize assets worth close to $7.4 trillion.

In 1999, the first known images of Vietnam's Javan rhinos were captured in camera traps supported by WWF, proving without question that this species was not extinct in mainland Southeast Asia as was once believed.

Now WWF and our partners are furthering the quest for Javan rhino using an innovative new tool – dung-sniffing dogs. Trained in the US and Vietnam, the canine duo Chevvy and Pepper are a vital part in getting accurate information on the last of the Javan rhinos in Vietnam.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) issued the following statement from Keya Chatterjee, Acting Director of Climate Change for WWF, in reaction to remarks today by President Obama and President Hu Jintao on prospects for the upcoming climate negotiations in Copenhagen:

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA, November 16, 2009 – World Wildlife Fund this week launched a 10-day TV advertising campaign in Alaska, urging voters to contact Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and ask them to support climate legislation. Alaska is feeling the impacts of climate change more than any other state, and its Senators could play a key role in reaching a bipartisan solution on the issue.

The Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue will meet in Bergen, Norway this week to present draft environmental indicators for the salmon farming industry. More than 90 people – including representatives from environmental organizations, salmon producers and scientists from the world’s most prominent salmon farming regions – are expected to attend and provide feedback on the draft indicators.

Dr. Melanie Stiassny, Axelrod Research Curator at the American Museum of Natural History will speak on “Preserving Evolution in Action in the World’s Deepest River – A Conservation Challenge” at World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today, Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.  The lecture is part of the Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Seminar series, which brings distinguished scientists from a variety of fields to Washington, D.C. to present cutting edge research of central importance to international conservation. 

Landmark legislation that would address climate change and lay the foundation for a new clean energy economy advanced closer to final passage today.

A unique conservation project World Wildlife Fund (WWF) started two years ago in partnership with the Nebraska-based Grassland Foundation has won Travel + Leisure’s 2009 Global Vision Award for Wildlife Tourism.

Kathmandu, Nepal- The Government of Nepal announced today an expansion of Bardia National Park in the Terai Arc Landscape by 900 sq km, which will increase critical habitat for tigers.

China received praise here today from the International Tiger Coalition (ITC) for promising to work with its neighbors to end tiger trade and bring back wild tigers.

More than 250 experts, scientists and government delegates from 13 tiger range countries this week called for immediate action to save tigers before the species disappears from the wild, citing the urgent need for increased protection against tiger poaching and trafficking in tiger parts.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today announced a new collaboration with The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), one of the nation’s largest grocery retailers, to help develop a strategy for responsibly-sourced wild seafood.

Among many foreign visitors to Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN), Pelalawan district, Riau, the presence of US Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron R. Hume brings its own impression to the Head of TNTN, Suprahman Hayani.

Tiger experts, government officials, scientists and conservationists are gathering in Kathmandu, Nepal this week to start a new global dialogue on how to save wild tigers as the world prepares to celebrate the Year of the Tiger in 2010. The Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop is the first in a series of high profile political negotiations culminating in a Tiger Summit in 2010.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) will host “Securing Water for People and Nature in a Changing Climate” – the 2009 Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Symposium – on November 3-4, 2009, at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. 

WWF applauds today’s announcement that the government of Belize has agreed to set a responsible tourism policy for the country. The announcement was made during the 3rd International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations in Belmopan, Belize.

WWF applauds today’s announcement of the proposed designation of key areas of polar bear habitat across Alaska by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The requirement for the identification of “critical habitat” was triggered by the listing of polar bears as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act in 2008.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation, one of the world’s largest producers of tissue products, has joined WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network and committed to increase its use of wood fiber from sustainable sources to help protect the world’s forests. Protecting the world’s forests is critical to addressing climate change as deforestation accounts for nearly 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Tetra Pak Inc., a leading manufacturer of food processing and packaging systems, is joining WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network in North America (GFTN-NA) to promote trade of responsibly sourced forest products. The Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) is WWF’s initiative to eliminate illegal logging and transform the global marketplace into a force for saving the world’s valuable and threatened forests.

HP today announced it has joined the Global Forest & Trade Network in North America (GFTN-NA), a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiative linking more than 300 companies globally that share a commitment to responsible forestry.

The Global Forest & Trade Network-North America (GFTN-NA) hosted its second annual meeting for companies in its program that have made commitments to responsible forest management and trade, as well as other businesses interested in responsible purchasing. The meeting provided a unique forum in which attendees had access to information, tools, resources, peers and industry experts to help North American wood and paper purchasers in their environmental commitments supporting a more sustainable global forest products industry. 

A five-year-old male Tiger was freed from a poacher’s snare on Sunday after it was found by WWF’s Wildlife Protection Unit (WPU) just off a highway that cuts through the Belum-Temengor forest complex in the northern state of Perak.

After a 70-year absence from Canada, black-footed ferrets will once again prowl the prairies, following today’s release of more than 30 captive-bred animals into Canada’s Grasslands National Park.   Leading the reintroduction were staff from a dozen different conservation organizations, governments and zoos, including species experts from WWF-US and WWF-Canada.

Draft standards for sustainable bivalve farming, created by the 300-plus participants of the Bivalve Aquaculture Dialogue, were posted for public comment today. This is the third set of draft standards produced through a series of roundtables, collectively called the Aquaculture Dialogues. All of the standards will be global, performance-based, and designed to minimize the key environmental and social impacts associated with aquaculture.

World Wildlife Fund’s Travel Program is announcing its 2010 tour schedule, adding new multi-sports trips and family tours designed to get travelers up close and personal with wildlife. Since 1983, World Wildlife Fund has taken curious travelers on wildlife-viewing expeditions throughout the world.  The new 2010 offerings reflect ever–increasing interest by travelers in unique destinations in which to enjoy their favorite outdoor sports and activities, as well as trips which offer families – often three generational – opportunities to make lasting memories.

World Wildlife Fund has obtained dramatic high definition footage along the Arctic shorelines of Russia and Alaska showing the dramatic impact climate change is having on walruses.  Earlier today, an investigative team led by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued preliminary findings explaining the mass death of young walrus calves that is captured on the WWF footage. 

It is no exaggeration to say that the Virunga Landscape is known as much for its famed mountain gorillas as it is for a long and bloody conflict that has taken a toll on millions of people. The challenge is inspiring people to save an irreplaceable natural treasure when they face hunger, desperation and even death.

World Wildlife Fund issued the following statement today from Lou Leonard, WWF’s director of climate policy, following introduction of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act by Senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer:

“We commend Senators Kerry and Boxer for their leadership in starting the process for approval of a strong climate and energy bill in the Senate this year. The introduction of this important bill builds on the momentum created by House passage of the American Clean Energy Security Act in June. Senate passage this year of a comprehensive climate and energy bill is crucial to our economic recovery and our national security; it is also vital to ensuring American leadership towards a new global partnership to fight climate change this December in Copenhagen. 

Leaders of the Congo Basin countries and conservation groups are pressing for more attention, funds and technical support to save the world’s second largest rainforest and benefit its population during a Congo Basin Forest Forum and Congressional Hearing today.

Leaders of Congo Basin countries, members of Congress and leading conservation organizations are gathering in Washington to recognize 10 years of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership. At a Congressional hearing the future of the world’s second largest rainforest will be discussed, including how those forests can help solve the climate crisis and contribute to regional security, effective governance and sustainable development.

A bird-eating fanged frog, a gecko that looks like it’s from another planet and a bird that would rather walk than fly, are among the 163 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year that are now at risk of extinction due to climate change, says a new report launched by WWF ahead of UN climate talks in Bangkok.

A bird-eating fanged frog, a gecko that looks like it’s from another planet and a bird that would rather walk than fly are among the 163 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year that are now at risk of extinction due to climate change, says a new report launched by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) ahead of UN climate talks in Bangkok.

Heads of the world’s 20 largest economies acknowledged the urgent need for a deal in Copenhagen that sets us on a path to a clean energy economy and addresses the devastating impacts of climate change, but very few concrete measures were taken by the group. 

National Geographic, through a partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), announced today it will cut its emissions of greenhouse gases by 80 percent by the end of 2010. The Geographic’s commitment comes on the heels of the United Nations Summit on Climate Change in New York and at the start of the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Arun Agrawal, Associate Professor of Natural Resources & Environment at the University of Michigan, will speak on “Community, Carbon and Livelihoods of Forest Commons – Win-Win vs. Tradeoffs Relationships” at World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.  The lecture is part of the Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Seminar series, which brings distinguished scientists from a variety of fields to Washington, D.C. to present cutting edge research of central importance to international conservation. 

World Wildlife Fund issued the following statement today from Keya Chatterjee, acting director of WWF’s climate program.

Ice coverage over the Arctic sea has likely reached its lowest level for 2009 – the third lowest amount of coverage on record – based on data collected by the National Snow and Ice Data Center. 

This year’s summer melt continues a trend of rapid sea ice decline over the past 30 years.  The average sea ice extent for August 2009 was 2.42 million square miles – about 540,000 square miles below the 1979 to 2000 average. That decline is larger than the states of Texas, California, Florida and Indiana combined.

A team of two Australian inventors today will be awarded the grand prize in the International Smart Gear Competition for a fishing gear innovation that could save thousands of seabirds from dying accidentally on longlines each year, World Wildlife Fund and its partners announced.  The winners will be officially announced in Vigo, Spain today at the World Fishing Exhibition.  

The next meeting of the Freshwater Trout Aquaculture Dialogue will be November 5-6 in Barcelona, Spain. This will be the third meeting of the Dialogue, which is a group of trout producers, conservationists, scientists and others who began meeting in November 2008 to develop global standards for responsible Rainbow Trout aquaculture.

Responsibly managed forests – such as those managed according to Forest Stewardship Council standards (FSC) – play an important role in the conservation of the world’s remaining great apes, according to a new World Wildlife Fund report.

WASHINGTON, DC, September 3, 2009 – World Wildlife Fund today issued the following statement in response to an ad and video that has been linked to our organization and contains messages and images related to the events of 9-11.

“WWF reiterates our strong condemnation and repudiation of this offensive and tasteless ad and reaffirms that no one in the US organization had any knowledge or any role in the ad’s creation and expresses its regret for any pain it may have caused 9-11 victims and their families.

Warming in the Arctic will likely have far-reaching impacts throughout the world, resulting in a sharp increase in harmful greenhouse gases and significant shifts in global weather patterns that could disrupt the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people.

This winter, WWF and its partners kicked off year two of their ambitious pronghorn migration study. The team, which includes WWF; Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP); Bureau of Land Management: and the University of Calgary (UC), came away with some critical data regarding the movement of pronghorn throughout the year. 

WWF has enjoyed many significant conservation achievements across the past year. Below are a few success stories highlighting exciting results, but also emphasizing our continuous commitment to confront the ongoing challenges faced by our planet. 

World Wildlife Fund has launched a national public awareness campaign urging voters to contact their Senators in support of legislation that would help protect the nation and the world from potentially devastating impacts of climate change.

Water is taken for granted by those for whom access to it is as easy as a trip to the kitchen sink. But, in fact, we are facing a deepening crisis of freshwater resources. 

Stockholm, August 20, 2009 – A new initiative launched during World Water Week will establish global standards for water stewardship, with the goal of addressing the global threat of water stress, the increasing pollution of rivers and a decline in freshwater wildlife species. In conjunction with the announcement, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) also accepted a four-year $1 million grant from JohnsonDiversey, Inc. to support this groundbreaking work, which is being convened through the Alliance for Water Stewardship.

A new WWF report reveals more than 350 new species – such as the world’s smallest deer, a “flying frog” and a 100 million-year old gecko – that have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas, a biological treasure trove now threatened by climate change.

Over 350 new species including the world’s second smallest deer, a “flying frog” and a 100 million-year old gecko have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas, a biological treasure trove now threatened by climate change.

A Craig Miller Productions and World Wildlife Fund film entitled Amur River Basin: Creating a Lasting Sanctuary for the Mighty Taimen has been selected as a film finalist at this year's Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival. 

Seven out of the 13 great whale species are still endangered or vulnerable, even after decades of protection. Whales, dolphins and porpoises are succumbing to new and ever-increasing dangers.

The preliminary population estimate of snow leopards in the Nepal Himalayas conducted by WWF in collaboration with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) has shown the presence of about 300-400 animals. The figures were recently released by the Government of Nepal. The study was undertaken with funding from WWF-US, WWF-UK and WWF-Finland.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today announced a partnership agreement with Giant Eagle Inc., to develop a strategy for responsibly sourced seafood. Under the agreement, WWF will assist Giant Eagle Inc. in assessing current sourcing of the company’s top seafood species in order for the company to develop a sustainable seafood sourcing strategy. 

WWF stressed the need to renew tiger conservation efforts in response to the government of Nepal’s announcement of an estimated 121 breeding tigers in four protected areas in the Terai Arc Landscape of Nepal.

World Wildlife Fund stressed the need to renew tiger conservation efforts in response to the government of Nepal’s announcement of an estimated 121 breeding tigers in four protected areas in the Terai Arc Landscape of Nepal.

Illegal wildlife trade, habitat loss, and a multitude of other threats are pushing some species – such as tigers, elephants and turtles -- to the brink of extinction, World Wildlife Fund CEO Carter Roberts told Congress today. He urged greater cooperation between government agencies, a commitment to saving wild species in their natural habitats and increased funding for biodiversity conservation.

I was on the frontier of India’s remotest wildness, where few humans have treaded before and fewer to study wildlife. Kargil, among largest districts of India, is best known in recent history for the major military conflict that occurred here in 1999. This unfortunately overshadowed the region’s rich wildlife. For, it is here that one of world’s most elusive creatures- the Snow Leopard, roams wild and free. To highlight this wildlife, I chose the district with Drass sector as the site of my project, despite the fact that I had to scour through 12,000 sq km of cold desert, which is frozen for much of the year. During my interaction with locals, I learnt about the tremendous decline in their (locals’) wildlife sightings, post-1999. They claimed even the common local resident birds had disappeared. Fortunately the situation was improving these days, they added.

David Reed, senior vice president of policy for World Wildlife Fund, praised Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s announced initiative to undertake the State Department’s first ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR).  The QDDR is a strategic assessment and plan to address the United State’s most pressing development and diplomacy opportunities and threats.   

Experimenting with tiger farming is too risky and could drive wild tigers further toward extinction, the World Bank told a key international wildlife trade meeting today.

Dr. Andrew Baker, Assistant Professor at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science of the University of Miami, will speak on “Intervention Conservation in the Marine Tropics: Coral Reefs, Complex Adaptive Systems and Climate Change” at World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.

As Congress debates landmark energy and climate legislation, a new analysis released today finds the United States lags far behind most other G8 nations in building a clean energy economy and cutting greenhouse gas pollution.

Feedback on draft global standards for pangasius aquaculture that was received during the first public comment period for the standards will be reviewed at the next meeting of the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue, to be held August 5-6 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

June 26, 2009 – In a bipartisan vote, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed landmark legislation that would constitute America’s biggest step to date in responding to the energy and climate crises.   

Legal loopholes and insufficient law enforcement mean that Thailand continues to harbour the largest illegal ivory market in Asia, says a new report from the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC.

To call attention to the imminent dangers of the Imja Lake Outburst to their way of life, the Sherpa communities in Nepal’s Khumbu region organized a “Beat the GLOF” action run. The dramatic increase in the size of the Himalayan Mountains’ glacial lakes is a direct consequence of climate change, which is melting Himalayan glaciers into lakes at an unprecedented pace. This has created the threat of potentially deadly GLOFs – Glacial Lake Outburst Floods – to the people living in the Himalayas.

Small whales are disappearing from the world’s oceans and waterways as they fall victim to fishing gear, pollution, and habitat loss – compounded by a lack of conservation measures such as those developed for great whales.

A new WWF report: Small cetaceans: The Forgotten Whales (link), states that inadequate conservation measures are pushing small cetaceans – such as dolphins, porpoises and small whales – toward extinction as their survival is overshadowed by efforts to save their larger cousins.

WASHINGTON, DC and KOELN, GERMANY: GLOBALGAP will offer an expansion to its program so aquaculture producers can be certified in one step for implementing practices that help ensure the production of safe food in conjunction with environmentally and socially responsible farming.

The governments of Norway and Japan are using taxpayer money to subsidize their unprofitable whaling industries, according to a first-time analysis of the economics of whaling.

The Abalone Aquaculture Dialogue will convene its next meeting in Pattaya, Thailand to encourage producers, conservationists, scientists and others to provide input on the development of global standards for the abalone farming industry – an industry that produces almost 70 percent of the abalone consumed worldwide.

Every region of the United States – from the East Coast to the West Coast, plus Alaska and Hawaii – is experiencing significant, adverse impacts from climate change including droughts, floods, heat waves and wildfires – and these widespread impacts will grow during the course of the century, concludes a major new report issued today by the White Hou

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced today that Russia will create a new 1.5 million hectare park in the Arctic, a central area for the Barents and Kara Sea polar bear populations.

The G8 must stick to its past financial commitments to help the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDCs) address the disastrous impacts of climate change, WWF said ahead of a meeting of the group’s finance ministers.

In January 2009, the management authorities of the Galápagos Marine Reserve (GMR) unanimously approved a fishery management plan, locally referred to as the “Fishing Chapter”. This plan was created – over a three-year period -- by the Galápagos National Park, the National Institute of Galápagos and the National Fisheries Institute. Representatives of the local artisanal fishing sector – who received scientific advice from WWF, the Charles Darwin Foundation, Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano and FUNDAR – also contributed to the creation of this plan. 

Climate change experts from leading non-governmental organizations today unveiled their blueprint for a legally binding Copenhagen agreement. This will serve as the benchmark for governments negotiating a new climate deal this year and shows how major differences between rich and poor nations can be overcome.

WWF, along with the Fundación Carlos Slim and the Mexican Federal Government, has launched an initiative that aims to establish Mexico as a global model for conservation by protecting its rich natural heritage and promoting sustainable development within six priority regions that collectively represent 30 percent of the country. 

WWF, along with the Fundación Carlos Slim and the Mexican Federal Government, today launched an initiative that aims to establish Mexico as a global model for conservation by protecting its rich natural heritage and promoting sustainable development within six priority regions that collectively represent 30 percent of the country.

World Wildlife Fund has launched a podcast series to tell the stories of scientists, researchers and others on the frontlines of the struggle to preserve the natural world. The podcast, called “The Wild Things,” will be written and produced by award-winning journalist John Nielsen, formerly an environment correspondent at National Public Radio.

The new texts presented by the UN give a solid basis for negotiation and if strengthened, allow agreeing on a climate change treaty which is capable of minimizing the devastating effects of climate change, WWF said ahead of the upcoming climate change talks in Bonn.

Elements of the soy industry have agreed to take a milestone step toward improving their production practices, which have led to widespread deforestation, displacement of small-farmers and indigenous peoples, and loss of natural habitats.

The final step in the process of creating global standards for tilapia farming began today, when the Tilapia Aquaculture Dialogue kicked off the last public comment period for the draft standards.

In the campaign’s dramatic opening event, veteran Everest summiteer Apa Sherpa carried a climate change banner to the summit of the world’s highest mountain. After a grueling 6 weeks, Apa completed his 19th ascent to the top of the world on May 21, 2009, where he placed the message “Stop climate change – let the Himalayas live.”

Utah Resident Apa Sherpa unveiled a banner on the summit of Mount Everest today telling the world to take urgent action on climate change and save his native Himalayas. The banner containing the WWF message – "Stop Climate Change, Let the Himalayas Live!" was unveiled as he summited Everest for a record 19^th time.

World Wildlife Fund and IBM today announced that IBM is furthering its participation in the WWF Climate Savers program, committing to a second generation Climate Savers goal to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by an additional 12 percent below 2005 levels by 2012.  IBM expects the reductions will build upon the company's prior success in cutting carbon emissions by nearly 2.7 million metric tons between 1990 and 2005—equivalent to 40 percent of the company’s 1990 global greenhouse gas emissions—and saving over $270 million through its annual energy conservation actions. 

Lou Leonard, Director of U.S. Climate Policy for World Wildlife Fund, today praised passage of HR 2454, the American Clean Energy Security Act, by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  Passage of the bill marks the first time climate change legislation has cleared a House committee.  House leaders have said they expect the legislation to be voted on later this summer. 

A massive logging operation planned by one of the world’s largest paper companies would destroy the forest home of 100 great apes that are part of the only successful reintroduction program for Sumatran orangutans.

A new, six-country Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI) was launched today at a Leaders’ Summit in Manado, North

Sulawesi; a series of new commitments by the six governments to an unprecedented

cooperative effort to safeguard the world’s richest marine resources and ensure the income,

livelihoods and food security for millions who depend on these resources.

A massive logging operation planned by one of the world’s largest paper companies will destroy the forest home of 100 great apes that are part of the only successful reintroduction program for Sumatran orangutans, conservationists have learned.

In May 2009, leaders of six Coral Triangle countries promised to take action to safeguard the world’s richest marine resource and some 100 million people depending on it.

This Father’s Day, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is making it easy to celebrate the special men in your life, especially those with a love of the great outdoors, with thoughtful and practical donation “thank you” gifts from the WWF Online Gift Center at www.worldwildlife.org/giving.

World Wildlife Fund issued the following statement from President and CEO Carter S. Roberts on the revised American Clean Energy and Security Act resulting from negotiations led by House Energy Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey (D-MA).

Coral reefs could disappear entirely from the Coral Triangle region of the Pacific Ocean by the end of the century, threatening the food supply and livelihoods for about 100 million people, according to a new study from World Wildlife Fund.

In the year since the May 12, 2008, earthquake that devastated southwest China’s Sichuan Province, WWF and our humanitarian partners have been active on the ground to care for pandas on the impacted reserves and lessen the suffering of the neighboring communities.

New figures released by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today show that only 1 percent of the sustainable palm oil available on the market has been bought, raising concerns that one of the major solutions to halting deforestation of tropical forests is not catching on fast enough.  Rapid increases in the production of palm oil, which is found in everything from cosmetics to ice cream to chocolate bars, has caused extensive land clearing in places like Borneo and Sumatra, resulting in loss of habitat for endangered species like tigers and orangutans and contributing to climate change.

More than a ton of illegal bushmeat – including primate and elephant meat – was seized in the Congo Basin last week and 15 wildlife poachers arrested in an unprecedented police operation.

WWF applauded the Obama administration and Secretary Salazar for their strong statements today and commitments to date on the need for “…comprehensive energy and climate strategy that curbs climate change and its impacts – including the loss of sea ice.”   

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is making it easy to recognize the special people in our lives on important occasions, such as Mother’s or Father’s Day, and birthdays throughout the year, with symbolic species adoptions available through the WWF Online Gift Center at www.worldwildlife.org/giving.

The process of creating global standards for responsible trout aquaculture will move forward when the Freshwater Trout Aquaculture Dialogue meets next month in the Faroe Islands, one of the top regions in the world for producing farmed trout.

World Wildlife Fund officials praised passage in the House of Representatives of legislation that would offer greater protections for endangered and iconic cat and dog species, including leopards, cheetahs and African wild dogs. 

Draft standards for responsible pangasius farming, created by the 250-plus participants of the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue (PAD), were posted for public comment today.

On Monday, April 6, ministers from nations representing the Arctic and Antarctic regions gathered at the State Department in Washington for high-level talks on climate change and other issues that are affecting the two Poles. The summit marked the first time that Arctic Council nations and Antarctic Treaty members have ever gathered to meet as one body.

The Environmental Protection Agency today issued a proposed finding that greenhouse gas pollution threatens the health and welfare of the American public.  The announcement comes two years after a landmark Supreme Court decision that directed the EPA to determine whether carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases pose a public danger and should therefore be regulated under the Clean Air Act.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today announced a partnership agreement with SYSCO, the nation’s largest foodservice distributor, to develop a strategy for responsibly-sourced seafood.  Under the agreement, WWF will assess the sourcing of SYSCO’s top 10 branded seafood species and work with the company to develop strategies that build on its efforts to move towards sustainable seafood sourcing.  Implementation of the strategy will be addressed during the second phase of the partnership.  SYSCO is also a supporter of the multi-stakeholder roundtables, called Aquaculture Dialogues, which WWF coordinates and will provide financial support for the shrimp and salmon Dialogues.

Lack of law enforcement against illegal trade in Indonesia threatens the survival of orangutans and gibbons on Sumatra, a new study by the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC shows.

Keya Chatterjee, deputy director of the climate program at World Wildlife Fund issues statement upon the conclusion of two weeks of international climate treaty negotiations in Bonn, Germany.

In the run up to this year’s Earth Day (April 22), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is encouraging people of all ages to make a pledge for change in the fight to save endangered species, protect endangered habitats and address global threats such as deforestation, overfishing and climate change. 

A sherpa set off to climb Mount Everest for a record 19th time to take an anti-climate change message to the world’s highest peak.

World Wildlife Fund today announced a partnership with Michigan State University, the World Agroforestry Center, and the Center of International Forestry Research to develop an innovative system for measuring, monitoring, and managing carbon in a diverse range of landscapes.  The partnership, part of the Global Environment Facility and United Nations Environment Programme’s Carbon Benefits Project, will help enable some of the world’s poorest people in the most vulnerable places to obtain the benefits of carbon sequestration. 

Just days after Earth Hour, when millions of Americans called for action on climate change by turning off their lights, legislation has been introduced in a  first step toward strong climate bill.

Dr. Richard H. Moss, vice president for climate change at World Wildlife Fund, today offered praise for the “American Clean Energy and Security Act” – a draft energy and climate change bill written by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey (D-MA). Moss issued the following statement:

To the cheers of the global community, the Obama administration today announced that the U.S. will assume a constructive leadership role in the negotiations underway on a new global climate deal. Much heavy lifting remains, however, and the world is watching to see if the US Congress will deliver on strong climate action and empower the Obama administration to have a stronger negotiating position in the international climate talks, said World Wildlife Fund officials.

A new nature reserve – including forests which are rich in biodiversity – has been declared in Tanzania.

U.S. Representatives Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) and John Barrow (D-Ga.) have introduced a congressional resolution that recognizes the power of Earth Hour to mobilize public opinion on the critical issue of climate change and affirms Congress’s support of the unprecedented global event.

As Earth Hour cascades through time zones around the world on Saturday, March 28 at 8:30 p.m., millions of Americans across the country will be showing their support for action on climate change by voting with their light switch on this historic night. 

Some of the world’s most iconic global corporations came together in the nation’s capital to announce they’ve significantly cut their greenhouse gas emissions. 

Pennsylvania, California and Arkansas have joined the Earth Hour movement, becoming the first US states to pledge support for the global climate change event in which hundreds of millions of people around the world will turn off their lights this Saturday for one hour, at 8:30 pm, to cast a powerful, visual vote for action on climate change. 

World Wildlife Fund today released two new studies that underscore how existing information technology (IT) solutions can meet the demands of today’s corporations while also reducing the harmful CO2 emissions that contribute to climate change.  As world leaders work this year to gain agreement on global strategies to combat the worsening climate crisis, policymakers and corporations are increasingly looking for solutions that reduce harmful emissions while creating jobs, saving money and driving innovation.

Critically endangered hawksbill turtles are no longer being sold as tourist souvenirs in the Dominican Republic after a powerful government campaign cracked down on shops illegally trading such items. More than 99 percent of these souvenirs have been withdrawn or confiscated, the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC reports.

At 8:30 pm on March 28^th in celebration of Earth Hour, lights will go out on some of the greatest monuments of the ancient world—the Acropolis of Athens and the Sphinx and Great Pyramids of Giza, as modern-day Greeks and Egyptians join Earth Hour’s global call for action on climate change.

Support for WWF’s Earth Hour continues to build across the nation as corporations and iconic structures pledge to go dark for the global climate event, which takes place on March 28th at 8:30 p.m.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged citizens around the world to join WWF's Earth Hour to demand action on climate change.

Sets and celebrities from the worlds of TV, film, music and sports are pledging to turn out their lights as part of World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour, the first global vote for action on climate change, taking place March 28^th at 8:30-9:30 p.m.

Two decades after the Exxon Valdez oil spill devastated a vast stretch of the Alaskan coast, governments and industry in the Arctic would be unable to effectively manage a large oil spill, according to a new report by World Wildlife Fund. As the 20^th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez spill approaches on March 24, WWF renewed its call for a time-out on new offshore oil development in the Arctic until technologies improve to ensure adequate clean-up of an oil spill. WWF is also calling on the Obama Administration to permanently protect Alaska’s fish-rich Bristol Bay from drilling.

Many violent incidents between people and tigers in Sumatra’s Riau Province in the past 12 years have occurred near forested areas being cleared by paper giant Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and associated companies, under the umbrella of its holding group, Sinar Mas Group (SMG), according to an analysis of human-tiger conflict data.

From the United Nations building in New York City to the Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel in Los Angeles County, support for Earth Hour continues to grow as new U.S. cities, high-profile landmarks, organizations and individuals commit to cast their vote in the world’s first global vote for action for climate change by turning off lights on March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. local time.

The Washington National Cathedral is among many area landmarks throughout metropolitan Washington turning off their lights for World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour 2009 on March 28 as part of a symbolic vote for action on climate change. Earth Hour, the largest environmental awareness event ever, has more than 1,500 cities and millions of people participating worldwide, including such cities as Atlanta, Las Vegas, Miami, New York, Beijing, Mexico City, Istanbul, Paris, Rome and Sydney.

Significant progress has been made in the Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue with the presentation and discussion of the Technical Working Group reports on diseases and parasites at a meeting on March 12-13, 2009. Top experts in the field were asked to assess the environmental impact of diseases and parasites and pull together current knowledge on preventing and mitigating these effects on farms and on the environment.

As momentum builds around the world for the first global vote for action on climate change, several of New York City’s most recognizable buildings and landmarks have committed to turn off their lights for World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour.  

From the Capitol Records Tower, to the Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel, hundreds of L.A.'s most recognizable landmarks have committed to turning out their lights for Earth Hour on Saturday, March 28th at 8:30 p.m. as part of the first ever global vote for action on climate change. By the time World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Earth Hour reaches L.A., more than 1,000 cities in 80 countries will have cast their votes in the symbolic movement regarding one of the most pressing issues facing the planet. From Fiji to L.A.'s Figueroa, Earth Hour will sweep across the Earth from time zone to time zone motivating people to turn out all non-essential lights in their houses and businesses and to join the global movement for change. That's just the first step before citizens descend on Nokia Plaza at L.A. LIVE, Saturday, March 28th, for the ultimate celebration for change.

On the eve of this weekend’s meeting between US President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, World Wildlife Fund issued a call for the two leaders to include climate change – specifically the role of deforestation – in their agenda. 

WWF and its international conservation partners are launching the 2009 International Conservation Budget (ICB) today with an event on Capitol Hill. Featured speakers include Jane Goodall and Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai as well as CEOs of the largest U.S.-based global conservation organizations, including WWF CEO Carter Roberts.  Members of Congress and their staff will be in attendance.

World Wildlife Fund announced today that the District of Columbia has signed on to be an official flagship city for Earth Hour 2009, a global climate change event in which tens of millions of citizens, businesses and government leaders from all corners of the world will turn off their lights to make a statement about the urgent need for action on climate change.

His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo, the President of Guyana, will join World Wildlife Fund CEO Carter Roberts and other dignitaries at a Capitol Hill briefing today on the role of tropical deforestation in climate change.

Today’s Capitol Hill briefing will bring together different international perspectives on how to finance, design and implement programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, which will be key considerations not only for U.S. legislation, but also for reaching agreement on an international treaty to confront climate change, which will be negotiated in Copenhagen later this year.

After years of the U.S. failing to address the climate crisis, China, Brazil and other emerging economies are moving forward, setting ambitious emissions targets and disproving the conventional wisdom in Washington that says they do not take climate change seriously and are unwilling to take action,

After years of the U.S. failing to address the climate crisis under the previous administration, China, Brazil and other emerging economies are moving forward, setting ambitious emissions targets and disproving the conventional wisdom in Washington that says they do not take climate change seriously and are unwilling to take action, World Wildlife Fund CEO Carter Roberts told Congress today.  As the Obama Administration and Congress reclaim U.S. leadership on the critical issue of climate change, they will find willing allies in the developing world, Roberts said.

From February 27 to March 2, 2009, 10,000 young people from across the country will converge on Washington D.C. to take a message of bold, comprehensive and immediate federal climate action to Capitol Hill. 

The world’s two largest emitters of greenhouse gases are laying the foundations for a new era of trust and cooperation on addressing the climate crisis, World Wildlife Fund officials said today as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travels to China for high-level meetings on climate change.

In December 2008 the government of Bhutan declared Wangchuck Centennial Park, the country’s tenth and second-largest park. Bhutan is the only place on Earth where the habitat of the snow leopard and mighty tiger intersect.

Southeast Asia’s few surviving elephants are under increasing threat from booming illegal ivory prices in Vietnam, according to a new market analysis released by TRAFFIC – the world’s largest wildlife trade monitoring network, and a joint program of IUCN and WWF.  

The Obama Administration’s first diplomatic mission abroad, in which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is traveling to four Asian countries to discuss international cooperation on climate change, is a clear signal that Washington has entered a new era of leadership on the climate crisis, said World Wildlife Fund officials.

World Wildlife Fund officials today applauded the decision by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to ban commercial fishing in U.S. Arctic waters until the potential impacts of such activities are better understood.  Recent melting of the Arctic sea ice on a scale unprecedented in modern times has opened up wide swaths of previously inaccessible waters to commercial fishing, oil and gas development and shipping, posing new challenges for resource managers.

With less than eight weeks before the lights go out for Earth Hour 2009, WWF officials confirmed today that 377 cities around the world will take part in the global event, which seeks to ignite a new call for action on climate change in the U.S. and around the world. WWF also announced that famed Obama-portrait artist Shepard Fairey has created a “Vote Earth” poster urging people to turn off their lights during Earth Hour, which takes place March 28, 2009, at 8:30 pm.  

Recognizing the significant impacts climate change is already having on both nature and people, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today announced it is providing $2 million to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to develop a new Ecosystems and Livelihoods Adaptation Network.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials today praised Senator Barbara Boxer’s (D-CA) announcement of the key principles for upcoming legislation to address climate change.

Today, Google released the newest feature of Google Earth, called “Ocean in Google Earth,” which enables users to explore the world’s oceans online.

Global standards for responsible seafood farming, which are under development by the Aquaculture Dialogue roundtables, will be managed by a new entity to be co-founded by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Designed to inspire innovative ideas for environmentally-friendly fishing gear, World Wildlife Fund launched the 4^th International Smart Gear Competition with a call for new designs for fishing devices that reduce bycatch—the capture of unintended species in fishing gear. The competition is open to anyone and carries with it the chance to win $57,500 in prizes.

The number of mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park has increased despite the war being waged in and around the area, according to the first count in 16 months.  

On the day that President Obama is releasing his plan to create a new, green economy, McKinsey and Company has issued a ground-breaking report that outlines a path toward realizing the President’s goal by showing how current technology, if fully deployed, could dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Many of the technologies identified in the report would provide savings to consumers and create thousands of new, green-collar jobs.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar yesterday announced that David Hayes, a senior fellow at World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is being nominated for Deputy Secretary of the Interior, a post Hayes held during the Clinton Administration under then-Interior Secretary and current WWF Chairman Bruce Babbitt. 

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials today called on the incoming Obama Administration to use the Arctic policy directive issued Friday by President Bush as a starting point to revamp, reorient and strengthen US policy in the Arctic region, particularly in the areas of oil and gas development, governance and climate change. 

The development of global standards for certifying farmed abalone will be the focus of the next meeting of the Abalone Aquaculture Dialogue, to be held February 16-17 in Cape Town, South Africa. The standards will help minimize the eight key environmental and social impacts associated with abalone production.

Dr. Paul Ehrlich, President of the Center for Conservation Biology and Bing Professor of Population Studies at Stanford University, will speak on “The Dominant Animal and the Future of Biodiversity” at World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on Thursday, January 8, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.

For the first time in more than a year, mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Virunga National Park have been seen by park rangers, and are reported to be doing well.

Potentially widespread and severe coral bleaching is predicted this winter, which could cause immense damage to some of the world’s most important marine environments including the Coral Triangle of SE Asia and the Western Pacific, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warns.

A rat thought extinct for 11 million years and a hot-pink, cyanide-producing dragon millipede are among a thousand new species discovered in the Greater Mekong Region of Southeast Asia in the last decade, according to a new report launched by World Wildlife Fund (WWF). 

World Wildlife Fund today released its annual list of some of the most threatened species around the world, saying that the long-term survival of many iconic animals is increasingly in doubt due to a host of threats.

A report issued by the U.S. government today shows that rising temperatures in the Arctic could have disastrous impacts on the rest of the planet beyond what had previously been projected, reinforcing the urgency for a new global climate treaty, said officials with World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

According to a new report by WWF and partners, over 1,000 species have been newly discovered in the Greater Mekong over the last ten years. That’s an average of two per week – making this one of the most prolific rates of discovery in the world.

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) decision to make only minor reductions in fishing for bigeye and yellowfin tuna does nothing to help stop the demise of these species, World Wildlife Fund said today. The WCPFC disregarded the advice of its science committee and its chair in making this decision, which comes just a few weeks after the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) also rejected their scientists’ pleas for significant cuts to catches in the face of declining tuna populations.

The first fuel-handling facility in the Galápagos Islands—a region of great biodiversity and evolutionary importance—was given official environmental certification today, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced.  The facility underwent extreme renovations in order to meet certification standards, which are part of a 10-year plan developed by WWF and Toyota, in conjunction with the Ecuadorian Government, to transform high pollution energy systems currently in use in the Galápagos to more sustainable and renewable energy sources. It is one of only a few facilities in Latin America to hold this certification.

In its final days in office, the Bush Administration has announced two substantial rule changes that would seriously undermine the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), specifically gutting key protections for polar bears, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials said today.

Nepal’s Suklaphanta (Sook-lah-fahn-tah) Wildlife Reserve was once considered prime tiger habitat because of abundant prey and the relative scarcity of competing predators. A sustainable population in this protected area is crucial for maintaining the genetic diversity of tigers in the region. Because of concerns that Suklaphanta’s tiger population was shrinking due to illegal poaching, WWF and partners began conducting more frequent and comprehensive surveys of the tigers.

World Wildlife Fund today officially kicked off Earth Hour 2009 announcing that Chicago, Homer Glen, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco would lead the list of U.S. cities committing to go dark for one hour on March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m., uniting with tens of millions of citizens, businesses and government officials from all corners of the world in a call for global action on climate change.

A border guard in Myanmar takes bribes to smuggle elephants into Thailand so he can travel to World Cup soccer matches, according to an undercover investigation by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The report found that so many live elephants have been smuggled to support “elephant trekking” tourism in Thailand that some parts of the Myanmar appear to have lost their elephant populations.

Despite the Brazilian government’s recent crack-down to stop the accelerating loss of the Amazon’s rain forests, deforestation continues to increase. From August 2007 to July 2008, Brazil deforested almost 3 million acres – an area nearly the size of the state of Connecticut.

Keeping tropical rain forests intact is a better way to combat climate change than replacing them with biofuel plantations, a study in the journal Conservation Biology finds.

The commission tasked with protecting Atlantic bluefin tuna has once again failed to save the species, according to World Wildlife Fund. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) decided to ignore its own scientists’ recommendations, setting catch quotas well above sustainable levels and allowing industrial fishing fleets to capture tuna at the height of its spawning period. Other avenues, beyond ICCAT, must now be explored in order to protect bluefin tuna.

The world’s first set of measurable, performance-based standards for responsible pangasius farming will be presented at the next meeting of the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue, to be held December 3-4 at Can Tho University in Vietnam. The standards, when adopted, will help minimize the main environmental and social issues associated with pangasius farming.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) CEO Carter Roberts praised President-elect Barack Obama for his remarks today before the Governors’ Global Climate Summit being held in Los Angeles. 

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) will host “Biofuels: Which Are More Sustainable?” on November 19-20, 2008, this year’s Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Symposium.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) will meet from November 17- 24 in Marrakech, Morocco to make decisions on measures to save Mediterranean bluefin tuna from collapse.

More than 80 of the world’s salmon aquaculture industry stakeholders – including producers, NGO representatives, retailers, government representatives and scientists – met here this week to move forward with developing global standards for salmon aquaculture. The standards, when adopted, will help minimize or eliminate the salmon farming industry’s key impacts on the environment and society.

The process of creating the world’s first set of credible standards for minimizing the key environmental and social impacts of the cobia and Seriola aquaculture industries will begin in February, when the inaugural meeting of the Seriola and Cobia Aquaculture Dialogue is held.

Dr. Michael Oppenheimer, Princeton University professor and a leading scholar on global warming, will discuss “Dangerous Anthropogenic Interference: The Latest Insights” at World Wildlife Fund on Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 4:30 p.m.  The lecture is part of the Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Seminar series, which brings distinguished scientists from a variety of fields to Washington, D.C. to present cutting edge research of central importance to international conservation. 

China’s traditional medicine trade has grown at annual rate of 10 percent since 2003, with exports valued at 144 million dollars to North America alone says a new report from TRAFFIC that reviewed wildlife trade in China in 2007.

Feedback on draft standards for tilapia aquaculture that is received during the first public comment period for the standards will be reviewed at the next meeting of the Tilapia Aquaculture Dialogue. The meeting will be December 15-16 at the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) US headquarters in Washington, DC.

Carter Roberts, CEO of World Wildlife Fund (WWF), issued the following statement tonight following the election of Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as President of the United States.

The Coca-Cola Company, in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), today announced ambitious new targets to improve water efficiency and reduce carbon emissions within its system-wide operations, while promoting sustainable agricultural practices and helping to conserve the world’s most important freshwater basins.

As global financial markets learn difficult lessons on the consequences of unregulated spending, a new report issued by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warns of the danger to future prosperity if the reckless over-consumption of the Earth’s natural capital is left unchecked. 

World Wildlife Fund announced today that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has joined the Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN), WWF’s initiative to save the world’s most valuable and threatened forests.

The 2008 WWF Duke of Edinburgh Conservation medal has been awarded to former Brazilian Environment Minister Her Excellency Senator Marina Silva.

The ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has recently intensified. As a result more than 50 Congolese park rangers fled to safety from Virunga National Park and more than 800,000 people have been displaced. There are also reports that the rebels have advanced to just outside of Goma – the regional capital – threatening the stability of the entire country.

Holiday gifts come in all shapes and sizes, but the best gifts keep on giving far beyond the holiday season. World Wildlife Fund (WWF)’s new 2008-2009 Gift Catalog provides holiday shoppers a convenient way to give a gift that not only warms hearts, but will help protect species around the globe and their habitats for decades to come.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has announced that Roger Samba has been named the winner of the 2008 J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership. The annual award honors outstanding contributions to international conservation and carries with it a $200,000 prize.

On the day of the third and final presidential debate, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has publicly released its “Greenprint” agenda – a policy roadmap for the next administration to address global threats to environmental, social and political stability in four key areas: climate change, conservation of natural resources, food security and freshwater availability.  The WWF Greenprint highlights how these challenges are intertwined, and how they can – and should – be solved by the next President.

The process of creating the world’s first set of credible standards for minimizing the key environmental and social impacts of the trout aquaculture industry will begin in November, when the inaugural meeting of the Trout Aquaculture Dialogue is held.

Half to three-quarters of major Antarctic penguin colonies – including the iconic Emperor Penguin, which was made famous by the blockbuster hit March of the Penguins – will likely experience significant decline or disappearance as a result of climate change, according to a new report from World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

“We, all the governors of Sumatra…..” With those words began an historic island-wide agreement to protect Sumatra’s biodiversity. This landmark decision will restore critical ecosystems, protect high conservation value forests – including those that store high levels of carbon – and create ecosystem-based plans to guide environmentally friendly development on the island. WWF applauds this commitment, and believes it is the best chance we’ve ever had to save Sumatra’s forests and species.

The Indonesian government and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today announced a bold commitment to protect the remaining forests and critical ecosystems of Sumatra, an Indonesian island that holds some of the world’s most diverse – and endangered – forests. The historic agreement represents the first-ever island-wide commitment to protect Sumatra’s stunning biodiversity.

A three-year partnership to integrate health, population and environmental needs for rural communities in Kenya, Nepal and the Democratic Republic of Congo was announced by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Johnson & Johnson, and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) at a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding today.

The world’s salmon aquaculture industry leaders will meet in the United Kingdom in November to move forward with developing measurable standards for salmon farming. The standards will help minimize the industry’s key impacts on the environment and society.

World Wildlife Fund said today that governments must double their efforts to save endangered species, as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List revealed that one in four of the world’s 5,487 known mammal species was at risk of extinction. Species such as tree kangaroos, narwhals and Irrawaddy dolphins are now closer to extinction, say WWF scientists who helped compile the list and work around the world to save endangered species and habitats.

The Mollusc Aquaculture Dialogue will broaden its reach to Europe in November to engage stakeholders from one of the world's most influential mollusc farming regions in the process of creating standards for responsible mollusc farming.

The first set of measurable, performance-based tilapia aquaculture standards created through a transparent and multi-stakeholder process was released for public comment today. They are the first draft standards from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-initiated Aquaculture Dialogues.

The world’s shrimp aquaculture industry leaders and other stakeholders will meet in South America and Southeast Asia this fall to develop standards for shrimp farming that has a minimal impact on the environment and society.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has issued a call for applications for the 2009-2010 Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Fund Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship. The Fuller Fellowship offers scientists the opportunity to link their post-doctoral research to on-the-ground conservation work at WWF sites.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has issued a statement today on the news of the death of Philip E. Clapp, Deputy Managing Director, Pew Environment Group.

Declining ice thickness and what is looking like the second lowest coverage on record means that Arctic sea ice may well have reached its lowest levels ever in terms of total volume, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said today. The final figures on the minimum ice coverage for this year are expected in a matter of days, but this year’s minimum figures are already flirting with last year’s record low of 1.59 million square miles.

Dr. Ruth DeFries, a leading expert in sustainable development, will discuss “Changing Dynamics of Tropical Deforestation and Atmospheric Carbon Emissions: Science Meets Policy” at World Wildlife Fund on Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 4:30 p.m.  The lecture is part of the Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Seminar series, which brings distinguished scientists from a variety of fields to Washington, D.C. to present cutting edge research of central importance to international conservation. 

World Wildlife Fund announced today that JohnsonDiversey, one of the world’s largest providers of commercial cleaning products and services, has joined the WWF Climate Savers program, pledging to significantly reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions from their operations.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) hailed today's commitment by the government of Indonesia to more than double the size of Sumatra's Tesso Nilo National Park, one of the last havens for endangered Sumatran elephants and critically endangered Sumatran tigers.

Alternative fishing technology has been shown to save turtles while not affecting fish catches, according to a report released today by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).

An aerial survey by government scientists in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea this week found at least nine polar bears swimming in open water – with one at least 60 miles from shore – raising concern among wildlife experts about their survival. A World Wildlife Fund (WWF) polar bear expert said the bears could have difficulty making it safely to shore and risk drowning, particularly if a storm arises.

Palma de Mallorca, SPAIN, August 14, 2008 – Key answers about the migratory behavior of overfished bluefin tuna will be revealed with the launch of a three-year Mediterranean tuna tagging project in Spain’s Balearic Islands, led by WWF scientists. Media can attend the tagging launch from August 27 to September 2 to observe the activities first-hand and speak to WWF fisheries experts on the bluefin tuna crisis.

Huge gaps in U.S. regulations for tigers held in captivity could make the big cats a target for illegal trade, wildlife trade monitoring group TRAFFIC and World Wildlife Fund found in the first-ever comprehensive report on captive tiger regulations across the United States

On the evening of July 23 the fishing vessel Sea Breeze was lost at sea 50 miles off the coast of New Jersey. The vessel was skippered by Captain Phil Ruhle Sr., co-winner of WWF’s 2007 Smart Gear competition for his Rhode Island team's inspiring fishing gear design “The Eliminator”. Two crew members were rescued by the coast guard but it appears Phil Ruhle Sr. remained onboard as the vessel capsized and sank.

Former Vice President Al Gore today called upon the United States to embark on a path toward energy independence by committing to generate 100 percent of its electricity from clean, domestic, non-emitting energy sources, such as solar, wind and geothermal. Dr. Richard Moss, vice president for climate change at World Wildlife Fund (WWF), issued this statement.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. joined the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN), World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) initiative to save the world’s most valuable and threatened forests, WWF announced today. By joining the GFTN, Wal-Mart has committed to phasing out illegal and unwanted wood sources from its supply chain and increasing its proportion of wood products originating from credibly certified sources – for Wal-Mart stores and Sam’s Clubs in the United States.

As the Southeast contends with the second consecutive year of exceptional drought, a new report commissioned by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) projects that climate change will increasingly stress water resources and affect water quality over a major portion of the region. The report, which was presented at a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill today, concludes that climate impacts on water resources are likely to be further exacerbated by population growth and land use changes. At risk are hundreds of unique, threatened, or endangered aquatic vertebrate species.

Dr. Patrick N. Halpin, a leading expert in marine conservation, will discuss “Protecting the Large Pelagics: New Technologies for Marine Conservation in the Open Ocean” at World Wildlife Fund on Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. The lecture is part of the Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Seminar series, which brings distinguished scientists from a variety of fields to Washington, D.C. to present cutting edge research of central importance to international conservation.

Tomorrow, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Allianz Foundation for North America and the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will host a briefing on the results of a climate change vulnerability assessment of the Cumberland, Mobile, and Tennessee River Basins. The river basins are globally unique and ecologically important, and are vital sources of clean water. The assessment comes at a time when portions of the region are experiencing exceptional drought conditions for the second consecutive year.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials said today they have received confirmation that two people were killed and three injured in an attack on a WWF vehicle in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo on July 7. A WWF staff member was among those injured.

In advance of next week’s G8 summit in Japan, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has released a new report examining the progress of each of the G8 countries toward addressing climate change, a main focus of this year’s meeting.

In a groundbreaking effort to preserve the species, an endangered Bengal tiger was relocated to the Sariska tiger reserve in India on June 28th—an area where the entire tiger population was wiped out a few years ago.

Environmental degradation is a key factor in turning extreme weather events and natural hazards, like floods, earthquakes, cyclones, forest fires and hurricanes into catastrophic natural disasters, according to a new report from World Wildlife Fund. In the wake of a series of recent devastating events, like the flooding in the Midwest, the massive earthquake in China and the typhoon in the Philippines, among others, this report illustrates how natural resource protection could have helped to mitigate the effects of these disasters and highlights the potential for conservation now to help alleviate impacts from future episodes.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is alarmed by the dramatic decline of at least 30 percent in the Bengal tiger population of Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve in Nepal, once a refuge that boasted among the highest densities of the endangered species in the Eastern Himalayas. The recent survey of April 2008 showed a population of between 6-14 tigers, down from 20-50 tigers in 2005.

Faced with declining populations of bigeye and yellowfin tuna, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) concluded its annual meeting last week in Panama City and failed to produce a binding conservation agreement. This was the IATTC’s fourth attempt in the past year to adopt conservation measures to combat overfishing and launch the recovery of certain tuna populations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Once again negotiations failed.

Two reports from TRAFFIC, the world's largest wildlife trade monitoring network, on traditional medicine systems in Cambodia and Vietnam suggest that illegal wildlife trade, including entire tiger skeletons, and unsustainable harvesting is depleting the region’s rich and varied biodiversity and putting the primary healthcare resource of millions at risk.

WWF Enlists President’s Support for Coral Triangle InitiativeWashington, D.C. - On Monday, June 23rd President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines, together with World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International held a luncheon with CEOs and top officials of various public and private organizations, to enlist their support of Coral Triangle Initiative, which the President and her country are founding members of.

In testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives today, Tom Dillon, senior vice president for field programs at World Wildlife Fund (WWF), urged a new paradigm in international species conservation, comprised of a globally based strategic vision and greater funding for conservation efforts.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) applauded the passage of legislation today by the Senate Commerce Committee that would significantly improve fisheries monitoring and enforcement.

A key government report issued today concludes that climate change is having a significant and irreversible impact on sensitive ecosystems and resources and urges the immediate implementation of ecosystem adaptation strategies on federally protected and managed lands and waters. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials called on Congress and the administration to provide the leadership, funding and reforms that federal managers require to implement the report’s recommendations.

Climate change is altering the frequency and severity of many extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts and hurricanes, according to a government report issued today. In the wake of devastating flooding throughout the Midwest – for which President Bush is seeking nearly $2 billion in emergency aid – the report illustrates the nation’s economic vulnerability to climate change and reinforces the urgency of developing a national preparedness strategy for climate change impacts, said a senior World Wildlife Fund (WWF) official.

A historic meeting next week may decide the fate of tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, one of the world’s most important marine resources.

The import, purchase, sale and transport of products made from illegally harvested wood will for the first time become a federal crime under legislation passed today by the U.S. Congress.

The unspeakable human tragedy resulting from the massive earthquake in China and the major reconstruction efforts ahead have been very much in the news lately.  As you are aware, this is a critical region for WWF because of our work to protect giant pandas and panda habitat and I wanted to update you on the current state of our efforts. The situation in the field is still very fluid, with sometimes contradictory reports being issued. Thankfully, all WWF staff and volunteers in China are now reported safe.

The largest debt-for-nature swap agreement in Madagascar’s history was signed today between the Government of Madagascar and the Government of France, allocating roughly $20 million (13 million Euros) to preserve Madagascar’s rich biodiversity, WWF announced today.

The Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 3036) today failed to garner a 60 vote supermajority necessary to advance the legislation in the U.S. Senate. However, the 48-36 vote in favor of proceeding marked a significant shift in political support for addressing climate change, said Dr. Richard Moss, vice president of climate change at World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Eleven major corporations today urged the U.S. Senate to pass climate change legislation, saying the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 3036), which will be voted on this week, “represents a real effort to establish the regulatory framework that we need.”

Bonn, Germany, May 30, 2008 – Brazil's Environment Minister, Carlos Minc, has confirmed the imminent creation of four new protected areas, three of them in the Brazilian Amazon, totaling 2.3 million hectares. The announcement of the creation of these areas will be made on June 5th, World Environment Day. Minc announced this commitment yesterday at the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn, Germany, where, together with Environmental Ministers of 60 countries, he also signed onto a WWF campaign of zero net deforestation by 2020.

A report focusing on the impacts of climate change in the U.S. that was issued today by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) is consistent with previously published research, but falls far short of meeting the needs of decision-makers for timely and useful information on the growing impacts of climate change, said World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo will establish 13 to 15 million hectares of new protected areas, the country announced yesterday at the UN Environmental Summit in Bonn, Germany. These proposed protected areas make up an area of rainforests roughly the size of Greece.  WWF applauds this commitment as a step towards creating an important and expansive network for the preservation of tropical rainforests. With this commitment, the Congolese government will reach its goal to protect 15 percent of the country.

Climate change is fueling forest fires, creating water scarcity, harming animal habitats, and causing other significant changes throughout the United States that will only worsen as global temperatures increase, concludes a new federal government assessment of current and future climate change impacts.

On 27 May 2008, Primorskii regional court handed out its verdict in the trial of three Russian and three Chinese individuals charged with trafficking Amur tiger body parts and 480 bear paws, for which they had tried to pass to China in August 2007.

The process of creating standards for certifying farmed abalone is underway. The standards will help minimize the key environmental and social impacts associated with abalone production.

For fathers who are as “wise as an owl,” as “strong as a lion,” or as “lovable as a grizzly bear,” World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is making it easy for people to salute and celebrate the special men in their lives for Father’s Day. Symbolic animal adoptions in support of a worthy cause are a great way to honor a great father while protecting the environment.

In addition to untold human devastation, WWF has learned that the 8.0 magnitude earthquake that struck China’s Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008, severely impacted close to 20 panda reserves in the Minshan Landscape, part of WWF’s Yangtze priority place and home to the giant panda.

Legislation to protect endangered and iconic animals, including leopards, cheetahs and African wild dogs, passed the U.S. House of Representatives today.  World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) chief scientist testified in support of the bill at a hearing in September.

Springtime on the plains brought more than just the year’s first rains and prairie grasses, as WWF’s bison reintroduction project welcomed five newborn calves (and counting) to Montana’s American Prairie Reserve.  The Reserve and reintroduction are joint projects between WWF and our partner the American Prairie Foundation. 

A $300 billion five-year Farm Bill that cleared Congress today contains much-welcomed environmental provisions, but also creates risk to native grasslands, leaves conservation programs under-funded and misses an opportunity to reform the government’s outdated farm subsidy system, according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials said today they have received confirmation that 12 American tourists in China, who had been out of contact since the massive earthquake struck the Wenchuan region on Monday, have been located and are reported to be safe. 

Climate change is destroying vital polar bear habitat, putting the species at risk of extinction, the U.S. government said today as it listed the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world’s largest conservation organization, said the government’s decision clearly indicates that climate change impacts are already threatening the survivability of animals and habitats, and illustrates the urgency of preparing for and adapting to a rapidly changing climate.  

Climate change is destroying vital polar bear habitat, putting the species at risk of extinction, the U.S. government said today as it listed the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world’s largest conservation organization, said the government’s decision clearly indicates that climate change impacts are already threatening the survivability of animals and habitats, and illustrates the urgency of preparing for and adapting to a rapidly changing climate.

WWF has joined with a coalition of Alaska Native and conservation groups who filed suit in federal district court in Alaska on January 31, arguing that in making its decision to hold the lease sale, Minerals Management Service (MMS) – an agency within the DOI – did not adequately weigh the impacts oil and gas activities would have on wildlife like polar bears, or on native villages along Alaska’s North Slope.

The announcement by Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the creation of approximately 7,828,938.5 acres of new federal protected areas in the Amazon: the Jarí National Park, Iquiri National Forest, Middle Purus Extractive Reserve, and the expansion of the Balata-Tufari National Forest is a positive step but only one of many which will be needed to save the Amazon, according to WWF.

Over a decade of work and contributions by more than 200 leading conservation scientists have produced a first-ever comprehensive map and database of the diversity of life in the world’s freshwater ecosystems. The map and associated fish data – a collaborative project between World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy -- are featured in the May issue of the journal BioScience.

World Wildlife Fund is one of more than a dozen U.S. and Canadian organizations that today released steps companies can take to develop and implement a comprehensive, corporate policy on sustainable, wild-caught and farmed seafood. The “Common Vision for Environmentally Sustainable Seafood” highlights a clear path for achieving sustainability in the seafood industry.

WASHINGTON—Twenty-five high school students displaced by Hurricane Katrina will join WWF and scientists to examine the southeastern United States’ vulnerability to climate change under research awards from WWF and Allianz Foundation for North America this spring.

Described by Jacques Cousteau as the world’s aquarium, Mexico’s Gulf of California is one of five marine ecosystems in the world with the highest diversity of wildlife. But pressures from unsustainable tourism, development, and commercial fishing are threatening the wildlife and the way of life for the people of the region. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Aquarium of the Pacific have formed a partnership to help save the Gulf of California.

WASHINGTON – Legislation to protect endangered and iconic animals, including leopards, cheetahs and gray wolves, passed a key congressional panel today and was cleared for a vote by the full U.S. House of Representatives.  World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) chief scientist, Dr. Eric Dinerstein, testified in support of the bill at a hearing in September.

This Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 11) you can show every one of the moms in your life how much you care with a gift from World Wildlife Fund’s Online Gift Center.  WWF Mother’s Day gifts are not only perfect for any mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, daughter, or mother to be, but also provide a way to help Mother Earth.

The government of Bolivia recently declared the Bolivian river dolphin as a Natural Heritage. This designation highlights the value placed on the conservation of this species and the freshwater ecosystems in the Beni province of northeastern Bolivia where it lives. The government committed to continuing its protection of this emblematic cetacean and pledged to strengthen measures to conserve the dolphin and its habitats.

WASHINGTON – Climate change is having a greater and faster impact on the Arctic than previously thought, according to a new study by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

WASHINGTON – A key congressional panel today passed a landmark bill, strongly backed by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), that would reinvigorate the health of U.S. coastal waters and bolster the sustainability of the oceans.

WASHINGTON -- National and international plans to combat climate change must address the root causes of deforestation, which is responsible for nearly 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) official said in testimony before the U.S. Senate today. 

World Wildlife Fund announced today that an estimated 36 million Americans took part in Earth Hour, a global event in support for action on climate change that took place March 29, 2008.

WASHINGTON, DC: Criteria and indicators that will be used to create standards for responsible shrimp farming are under development for the shrimp industries in East Africa and Central America/Mexico.

The Borneo pygmy elephant may not be native to the island of Borneo after all. Instead, the population could be the last survivors of the Javan elephant race – accidentally saved from extinction by the Sultan of Sulu centuries ago, suggests an article co-authored by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Criteria and indicators that will be used to create standards for responsible shrimp farming are under development for the shrimp industries in East Africa and Central America/Mexico.

WASHINGTON – Officials at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today expressed doubt that President Bush’s Rose Garden speech this afternoon will offer any hope for meaningful action on climate change before the end of his term and called on his would-be successors to demonstrate leadership on the issue, specifically urging them to participate in a debate on climate change and other science and environmental issues.

WASHINGTON – Dr. Richard Moss, Vice President and Managing Director of Climate Change for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and member of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, issued the following statement today in response to President Bush’s speech on climate change:

Anchorage, ALASKA –Pervasive and hugely profitable illegal fishing for Atlantic cod and walleye pollock in the Arctic threatens the health of globally important fisheries and their resilience to climate change, says a new WWF report Illegal Fishing in Arctic Waters.

Nominations are due by April 30th for the Technical Working Groups (TWG) that will draft criteria, indicators and measurable standards for certifying sustainable pangasius farming. Recommendations from the TWGs will be presented to the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue – a diverse group of pangasius farming stakeholders – for final consideration by the end of this year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 9, 2008 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was one of four organizations awarded National Geographic Channel's "Preserve Our Planet" Award for Excellence at an event held April 8 at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, DC.

Procter & Gamble and Domtar Corporation have joined the North America Forest & Trade Network (NAFTN), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced today. NAFTN is the North American arm of the Global Forest & Trade Network, WWF's initiative to eliminate illegal logging and improve the management of valuable and threatened forests. By facilitating trade links between companies committed to supporting responsible forestry, the Global Forest & Trade Network creates market conditions that help conserve the world’s forests while providing economic and social benefits for the businesses and people that depend on them.

The Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan today announced that The Coca-Cola Company and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are sponsoring a new joint internship program. This innovative program will connect Erb Institute MBA/MS candidates with business and nonprofit thought leaders to collaboratively develop solutions to the challenge of preserving clean water for future generations.

The Global Forest & Trade Network - North America (GFTN-NA) hosted a Roundtable for investors and buyers of pulp and paper from Indonesia, a country that currently has the highest deforestation rate in the world and is the third largest contributor of CO₂ emissions due to illegal and unsustainable forest management practices. 

ANCHORAGE, AK -Today's announcement by the Department of the Interior inviting offshore oil and gas drilling at the heart of Alaska's Bering Sea fishery could undermine commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries throughout the region, warned World Wildlife Fund (WWF).  The action also puts marine mammal and migratory bird habitat at unacceptable risk.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles offer a promising pathway to a sustainable transport future that reduces risks of climate catastrophe and possible conflict over dwindling oil resources, a new WWF analysis has found.

On the eve of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit in Vientiane, Mr Nguyen Duc Hai, the Chairman of Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee, has taken a bold and visionary stance for sustainable dam development in this Vietnam province. WWF, the global conservation organization, says this sends a timely and powerful signal to regional leaders as they seek to manage the pressing challenges of rapid infrastructure development and economic growth in a sustainable way.

(ATLANTA) -- March 27, 2008 -- The Coca-Cola Company is stepping up in a big way to support Earth Hour 2008--a global "lights off" event created by the World Wildlife Fund to call attention to climate change. Coca-Cola has committed to darken its famous Times Square billboard in New York and the lights at its world headquarters in Atlanta, while donating advertising space valued at more than $2.5 million to promote Earth Hour, which takes place Saturday, March 29th at 8 p.m.

Washington, D.C.– March 26, 2008– With less than a week to go, participation in Earth Hour (www.earthhour.org) has grown dramatically as nearly 200 cities, including 35 in the U.S., join millions of individuals and businesses around the world in turning off their lights on Saturday, March 29th from 8 – 9 pm local time in a dramatic symbolic gesture in support for action on climate change.

WASHINGTON, DC – With Earth Day (April 22) less than a month away, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is offering some simple actions you can do to show you care about the future of the planet.

WASHINGTON, DC: Developing criteria and indicators that will be the framework for pangasius aquaculture standards will be the focal point of the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue meeting in Can Tho City, Vietnam March 27-28.

WASHINGTON, DC: The first meeting to begin developing standards for certifying responsible shrimp farming in Central America and Mexico will be April 1-2 in Belize. The standards will help reduce or eliminate the key environmental and social impacts related to shrimp aquaculture – one of the fastest growing types of aquaculture in the world.

KwaZulu Natal, South Africa– After bringing Africa’s black rhinos back from the brink of extinction one of the most successful conservation programs celebrates its first decade by seeking to extend its operations to more of Africa.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 11, 2008 - World Wildlife Fund today named HP as the official US technology partner for Earth Hour, the global climate change event taking place Saturday, March 29 at 8 pm local time (www.earthhour.org) in cities around the world.

WASHINGTON, DC: The process of developing standards for certifying farmed abalone will begin April 29th at the first meeting of the Abalone Aquaculture Dialogue, to be held in Melbourne, Australia.

WASHINGTON, D.C.– The Gold Standard for carbon offsets in the energy sector has come out on top after research which, for the first time, rates voluntary offset standards according to clear quality criteria.

WASHINGTON, DC: Developing criteria and indicators that will be the framework for pangasius aquaculture standards will be the focal point of the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue meeting in Can Tho City, Vietnam March 27-28.

Pekanbaru, Sumatra-Turning just one Sumatran province's forests and peat swamps into pulpwood and palm oil plantations is generating more annual greenhouse gas emissions than the Netherlands and rapidly driving the province's elephants into extinction, a new study by WWF and partners has found.

A groundbreaking report by WWF and partners analyzes the local-to-global connections between deforestation, climate change and the rapid decline of tigers and elephants in the Riau Province, on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.

WASHINGTON DC – World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been named as the only environmental group and only non-profit organization in Computerworld Magazine’s “Top Green-IT Companies for 2008”. WWF, the world’s largest environmental organization, was singled out for its use of energy saving technologies and CO2 reducing business practices.  The recognition appears in the February 18, 2008 issue of Computerworld Magazine and online at Computerworld.com.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 15, 2008 – Momentum continues to build for Earth Hour 2008, as World Wildlife Fund announced today that four major US cities will take part in a global effort to turn off the lights on March 29, 2008 to demonstrate concern about climate change.

What: Climate Camp is a week-long program where conservationists, policymakers and resource managers from Papua New Guinea to Northern California learn how to develop programs that help wildlife, habitats and communities prepare for the consequences of global climate change. Climate scientists from around the world will explain the impacts of climate change and help them design programs to help places like the Congo, Amazon and Rockies prepare for a changing climate. They present these programs to their peers and funders and if the last climate camp is any guide, most will successfully implement projects when they return home.

Boston, Mass. – Continued mismanagement could force some tuna populations to quickly go the way of cod, a highly threatened fishery that once helped shape economies of whole nations, leading scientists said in the symposium “Last Best Chance for Tuna: Learning from the Cod Collapse” at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Boston on February 18.

BARCELONA: The Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue met in Barcelona, Spain this week to discuss new reports about escapes, siting and benthic impacts related to salmon farming. Draft principles, or high-level goals that address the impacts of salmon farming, also were presented.

WASHINGTON, DC: The first meeting to begin developing standards for certifying responsible shrimp farming in Central America and Mexico will be April 1-2 in Belize. The standards will help reduce or eliminate the key environmental and social impacts related to shrimp aquaculture – one of the fastest growing types of aquaculture in the world.

Tokyo – A business group including leading companies such as HP, Sony, Nokia and Nike today released the Tokyo Declaration, a joint call to tackle the urgent issue of climate change. Signing the declaration at the Climate Savers Summit 2008 held by WWF and Sony in Tokyo, a dozen business leaders highlighted that the world’s greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by more than 50 percent by 2050. They added that emissions must peak and start to decline within the next 10 to 15 years in order to keep global warming below the dangerous threshold of 2 degrees Celsius.

WASHINGTON D.C. – HP has joined the WWF Climate Savers program, a group of leading corporations from around the world that are working with World Wildlife Fund to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, WWF and HP announced today.

WASHINGTON – Laws protecting the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger have failed to prevent tiger body parts being openly sold in Indonesia, according to a TRAFFIC report launched today.

WASHINGTON D.C. - Today, Alaska Native and conservation groups voiced their opposition to Department of Interior’s (DOI) controversial Lease Sale 193, comprising nearly 30 million acres of pristine waters in the Chukchi Sea of Alaska. The Chukchi Sea is critical habitat for polar bears, walrus, whales, seals, and migratory birds and is experiencing some of the most rapid loss of sea ice in the world due to global warming. Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the DOI, announced its intention to sell oil and gas leases in this critical part of the Arctic Ocean on January 2. Less than one week after that announcement, a different DOI agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), announced it would miss a legally required January 9 deadline for making its final decision on whether to list polar bears as “threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

WASHINGTON, DC: Mollusc aquaculture stakeholders participating in the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-initiated Mollusc Aquaculture Dialogue will meet this winter and spring to develop standards for certifying molluscs farmed in North America. The standards will minimize or eliminate the main negative effects of mollusc farming, which were agreed on by Dialogue participants last fall.

Washington D.C.- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is alarmed that a decision to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to protect the species and its fragile Arctic environment has been plagued with delays while an oil lease sale of nearly 30 million acres of the prime polar bear habitat in the Chukchi Sea is scheduled for February 6 in Alaska.

Office-supplies giant Staples Inc. has ended their relationship with Asia Pulp & Paper Co. Ltd. (APP). Staples sourced over 9 percent of its total paper supply from APP, and is the latest of large paper sellers worldwide, including Office Depot Inc., to stop buying from this paper company because of its poor environmental practices. WWF, along with businesses and many other conservation organizations, believe that APP is destroying natural rainforest and contributing heavily to climate change in order to feed its mills.

Washington D.C.– Margaret Williams, WWF’s Director of the Bering Sea ecoregion program, called for urgent action to save polar bears at the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing entitled “Examining Threats and Protections for the Polar Bear” on Wednesday, January 30, 2008. The hearing was convened to examine the status of and legal protections for the polar bear, including the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the status of listing the species under the act.

WASHINGTON – The head of the climate change program at World Wildlife Fund, the world’s largest environmental organization, today issued the following statement:

Recently, Ministers of the Environment from the Greater Mekong Subregion countries - Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam - gathered in Vientiane, Laos, to review the regions' environmental progress over the past three years.

On January 28, 2008, Nokia joined the  WWF Climate Savers program with a pledge to build on its strong environmental record by improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon dioxide emissions across its business. The company is targeting a series of energy savings including halving the stand-by energy used by its mobile phone chargers, using green electricity to power 50 percent of its facilities by 2010 and reducing the overall energy needs of its sites by 6 percent by 2012.

Washington D.C.— As 17 countries and 30 organizations launch the International Year of the Reef today, three major environmental groups – World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International – call on governments, businesses, scientists, non-governmental organizations and individuals around the world to vastly increase actions to protect coral reefs. The International Year of the Reef 2008, designated by the International Coral Reef Initiative, is a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the value and importance of coral reefs and to motivate action to protect them.

Washington - A new report released by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, and WWF finds that the lack of meat in refugee rations in East Africa is causing a flourishing illegal trade in wild meat, threatening wildlife populations and creating a food security issue for rural communities.

World Wildlife Fund mourns the loss of global explorer Sir Edmund Hillary, who conquered Mt. Everest but never forgot the people of the Himalayas who made his accomplishment possible.

WASHINGTON D.C. – World Wildlife Fund (WWF) expressed disappointment over the announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on January 7, 2008 that it will delay by up to one month a final decision on  whether to list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Washington D.C.– An investigative report released today by World Wildlife Fund revealed that paper giant Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and its affiliates are in the process of constructing a massive  highway for logging vehicles that threatens one of Indonesia’s most important forests. The highway, described by WWF in the report as being “legally questionable,” would cut an enormous swath  through one of Sumatra’s last remaining large forest blocks, home to two tribes of indigenous people and endangered elephants, tigers and orangutans.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS), an agency within the Department of Interior (DOI), issued its Final Notice of Intent for the Chukchi Lease Sale 193 opening approximately 29.7 million acres of the pristine Chukchi Sea to oil and gas activities on January 2.

On a clear northern Montana day, a joint team from WWF, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks and the University of Calgary began field work on a collaborative study of pronghorn ecology and conservation planning. The team met their goal of fitting 22 pronghorn females with GPS radio collars. The WWF team was led by Kyran Kunkel, senior fellow for the Northern Great Plains program.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, continued fighting has intensified the environmental and humanitarian crisis. In spite of WWF's provision of emergency fuel wood supplies for people in temporary camps, pressures on nearby Virunga National Park are increasing.

WASHINGTON -- December 19 2007 -- Just in time for college football bowl season, the University of Missouri, Auburn University and Clemson University have squared off in another battle: to stop tiger farming and the illegal trade in tiger parts. The three major universities---all with famous tiger mascots---have joined forces with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and initiated a friendly competition to see which school and its alumni can raise the most money to aid real-world tigers around the globe.

After years of WWF advocacy in support of increased funding for conservation work in the Chihuahuan Desert, the United States Congress recently passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). This bill includes $15 million per year for four years in support of wildlife habitat enhancements and research in the Rio Grande Basin.

Vladivostok, Russia--Today the Russian Government created a new national park that is habitat for the endangered Siberian tiger in the country’s Far Eastern region after six years of research and negotiation by World Wildlife Fund. Roughly the size of Rhode Island, Anyuiskii National Park—1562.5 square miles--is the largest of three protected areas established by the Russian government in 2007.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – World Wildlife Fund (WWF) commends the Senate for including Senator Wyden and Senator Alexander’s “Combat Illegal Logging Act” language within the manager’s amendment to the Farm Bill, which passed by a vote of 79-14 on December 14.  The amendment makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, buy or transport illegally-sourced wood products, and enables U.S. enforcement agencies to crack down on illegal timber traffickers.

WASHINGTON, December 18, 2007 - WWF today announced the official launch of Earth Hour, a global initiative in which cities and communities will turn out their lights to symbolize their leadership and commitment to finding solutions for climate change.

WASHINGTON, December 18, 2007 - Less than twenty-one percent of the earth's terrestrial surface still contains all of the large mammals that used to occur there 500 years ago, according to a new study just released in this month's Journal of Mammalogy. Authored by a team of scientists from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Princeton University, the study is the first of its kind to offer an ecologically based measurement of human impacts on biodiversity based on the absence of native, large mammals.

WASHINGTON: The Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue met in Santiago, Chile this week to discuss new reports about two of the key impacts of salmon aquaculture production - chemical inputs and nutrient loading/carrying capacity - and the socioeconomic costs and benefits of salmon aquaculture.

Washington D.C.– The 5-year Farm Bill (HR 2419) passed by the Senate by a vote of 79-14 yielded mixed results for conservation said World Wildlife Fund. Although the bill does provide support for important conservation programs, the Senate failed to pass several progressive amendments that would have greatly reduced federal subsidy payments to the wealthiest commodity producers and transferred some of the subsequent savings to increased conservation spending.

Bali, INDONESIA – Political leaders meeting in Bali for the UN’s Climate Change Summit hammered out a deal which launches formal negotiations with a 2009 end date, but the deal falls short in its ambition, says World Wildlife Fund.

On December 17, 2007, Chile's President awarded the prestigious Bicentennial Seal to WWF's community conservation project "Strengthening Governance and Sustainable Livelihoods in the Huilliche Territory of Mapu Lahual." The project won in the Environment category, and was nominated by WWF and the Mapu Lahual Indigenous Association to the Chilean Government.

Bali, Indonesia – A move by the U.S. government could push the Bali climate negotiations to the brink of failure, WWF officials warned tonight. The U.S. proposal would eliminate language that called upon developed nations to consider specific, internationally binding, quantified reduction commitments, replacing it with text that calls upon countries to adopt any measures they deem appropriate.

New data from the government of Brazil shows that deforestation rates for the Brazilian Amazon from August 2006 to July 2007 have fallen for the third consecutive year - and are the lowest registered for the region since 1991.

Bali, Indonesia - The penguin population of Antarctica is under pressure from global warming, says WWF’s latest briefing.

Bali, Indonesia – Officials with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said landmark climate change legislation sent to the floor of the US Senate by the Environment and Public Works Committee this week will help put the US on the path towards meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Bali, Indonesia – A vicious feedback loop of climate change and deforestation could wipe out or severely damage nearly 60 percent of the Amazon forest by 2030, says a new report from WWF. 

Bali, Indonesia– The past year has seen yet more weather records smashed as extreme weather events take a firmer hold of the planet, says WWF.

.NASHVILLE, Tenn.– Nissan North America (NNA) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently announced the winners of the 2007 Nissan-WWF University Campus Environmental Grants. Three college students were awarded grants to continue their environmental advocacy work and implement meaningful sustainability and conservation projects on their respective campuses

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Leaders of 150 global companies today called on world leaders to agree on a comprehensive, legally binding United Nations framework to tackle climate change during negotiations that begin next week during the Conference of the Parties in Bali, Indonesia.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Leaders of 150 global companies today called on world leaders to agree on a comprehensive, legally binding United Nations framework to tackle climate change during negotiations that begin next week during the Conference of the Parties in Bali, Indonesia.

Ted Ligety:
“With the start of the 2007 ski season, it’s never been clearer that the sport I love is at risk. Global warming has made skiing conditions progressively worse – the seasons are getting shorter and there seems to be less snow on the slopes. Without immediate action to halt global warming we could lose the sport as we know it all together. Scientists say we have less than 10 years to do something before it’s too late.

WASHINGTON - Want to make your Thanksgiving a little more environmentally-friendly? World Wildlife Fund offers some easy steps to make your celebration more sustainable:

The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation and World Wildlife Fund are teaming up to make a child’s day brighter this holiday season. People who donate through WWF’s symbolic animal adoption program can choose to give their adoption premium package to a needy child in the United States through the Toys for Tots program. As part of the adoption package, kids not only receive an adorable animal plush to cuddle, but also a fact card with information about conservation and the animal species adopted.

Washington D.C. – A new tool from WWF allows people around the world to document first-hand the impacts of climate change on their communities and livelihoods, from melting glacial lakes in the Himalayas threatening to flood Sherpa villages to rising sea levels in the Pacific putting fishermen out of business. Through the Climate Witness Program, WWF collects testimony from citizens in vulnerable areas, verifies it with leading climate scientists and then shares it with the world.

A team of Rhode Island inventors today will be awarded the grand prize in the International Smart Gear Competition for a fishing gear innovation that could save thousands of fish and other sea creatures from dying accidentally in fishing nets each year, World Wildlife Fund and its partners announced.  The winners will be officially announced in Seattle today at the Pacific Marine Expo.

WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund announced today that internationally-recognized climate expert Richard Moss has been named WWF's vice president and managing director for Climate Change for the United States. In that role, Moss will be at the forefront of WWF's efforts to secure a strong global climate agreement that includes steep emissions reduction targets, addresses forest carbon policy and protects the world's key eco-regions from the effects of global warming.

WASHINGTON--East Asian countries are importing between 50 and 90 percent more Russian Sockeye salmon thanRussia is reporting as caught and much of it is destined for theU.S. according to a new report from TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, and WWF.

Washington DC - World Wildlife Fund's Travel Program today announced its 2008 tour schedule, adding new snorkeling trips, more family destinations and revised itineraries for its most popular tours. The lineup reflects feedback from past WWF travelers, adding destinations they've said they want to visit. In response to several tours selling out, the program is now adding additional departures to India, Alaska, Kenya and Tanzania.

WASHINGTON, DC: Salmon producers, retailers, scientists, environmental groups and others from throughout the world will meet in Chile in December to review new reports about two of the main impacts of salmon aquaculture production: chemical inputs and nutrient loading/carrying capacity. Information in the reports will then be used to guide discussions about developing jointly acceptable global standards for salmon aquaculture. A discussion about the socioeconomic costs and benefits of salmon aquaculture globally and in Chile also will be on the agenda.

Washington DC– The bluefin tuna population is close to collapse because of over-fishing, lack of comprehensive management, illegal fishing in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean Seas, and insufficient measures taken by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), according to WWF and eight other conservation organizations. The organizations voiced their concerns in a letter sent to Dr. William T. Hogarth, Director of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service and the chairman of ICCAT today.

WASHINGTON, October 16, 2007 -In the new fantasy adventure film "The Golden Compass," polar bears protect themselves with suits of armor. In the real world, threats to polar bears are not so easily abated. This majestic species is one of many in danger of extinction due to harsh changes in climate, which is why New Line Cinema has launched a unique partnership today with the World Wildlife Fund to help educate the public about the impact global warming is having on animals throughout the world.

Washington DC - An intricately carved Royal Bengal Tiger by Gail H. of Vienna, West Virginia, won the WWF and HP online photo contest "Going Wild with Pumpkins". Gail used a special stencil from among 10 wildlife-themed designs aimed at raising awareness of wildlife and environmental issues, and won an HP Photosmart photo printer and digital camera.

"The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the premier international organization ensuring that forestry practices are environmentally, socially and economically responsible. Its decision to rescind the rights of Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) to use the FSC logo shows that it is a robust and credible system that is committed to the responsible management of the world's forests.

WASHINGTON DC –Members of the world’s leading environmental organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund, today hailed the leaders of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation for approving S. 1580, the Coral Reef Conservation Reauthorization Act (CRCRA), and in particular including a new program with dedicated funding for international coral reef conservation.

PARIS – Today’s new agreement endorsed by nine African countries to better protect gorillas is a major conservation achievement, said World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network.

WASHINGTON, DC: The process for certifying mollusc aquaculture products - which make up one-quarter of the world's aquaculture production - was set in motion this month as producers, buyers, scientists and others interested in molluscs met in Oregon to discuss standards for an eco-label for oysters, clams, mussels and scallops.

WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund announced today that it has named Dr. K. Ullas Karanth as the winner of the 2007 J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership. The annual award honors outstanding contributions to international conservation and carries with it a $200,000 prize. Karanth, a scientist with the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), is the first tiger expert to win the award.

WASHINGTON DC - The CEO of World Wildlife Fund, the world's largest environmental organization, said today that the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to former Vice President Al Gore and the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recognizes that climate change is one of the great destabilizing forces of our era and a root cause of some of the world's most violent conflicts.

WASHINGTON, DC: During the inaugural meeting of the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue, more than 70 producers, buyers, government officials and others from around the world agreed that there is an urgent need and willingness to certify pangasius aquaculture products.

What do Scarlett Johansson, Orlando Bloom and Rachael Ray have in common? They’ve joined together with 13 other hot celebrities to support an online auction for World Wildlife Fund. Each has signed a WWF “Hotter than I Should Be” t-shirt to be auctioned off on eBay starting today with funds going to support WWF’s global climate change and other conservation initiatives.

Hoi An, Vietnam - Two new reserves have been created in Vietnam's rugged Annamite Mountains to protect the saola, one of the world's rarest animals.

Brasilia, Brazil - Today nine Brazilian conservation organizations, including WWF-Brazil, launched an initiative to protect the Amazon's rainforests. This historic pact establishes a system of economic incentives for conservation with a goal of eliminating deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon by 2015 - an ambitious 7 year target.

PALO ALTO, Calif. and WASHINGTON, DC, Oct. 2, 2007 – Pumpkins may still be orange, but Halloween is turning green, according to HP and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), who today announced the "Going Wild with Pumpkins" online photo contest. The contest, aimed at raising awareness of wildlife and environmental issues, offers fun pumpkin-carving activities for families to enjoy together.

On August 21, 2007, the President of Ecuador approved a Migration Regulation to control human migration to the Galapagos Islands. Since 2004, the WWF Galapagos Program has been working towards the approval of the regulation. Human migration is considered one of the major threats for the conservation of the Galapagos Islands because it places increased pressure on the natural resources. During the past decade, the population growth has reached 6% annually. WWF will continue to focus our efforts on building the capacity of the local institution charged with implementing the Migration Regulation, the Galapagos National Institute (INGALA).

The World Bank has agreed to restructure their loan to the forest sector in Tanzania so that more than US$2 million of new money will go to The Eastern Arc Mountains Conservation Endowment Fund and more than $3 million will go to core conservation actions in the Eastern Arcs. This will include the Derema Corridor Compensation Program, the 3 new Nature Reserves, 8 new Forest Reserves and funding to help declare the entire region a World Heritage Site.

WASHINGTON – World Wildlife Fund scientists said today that the discovery of 11 new animal and plant species in a remote area in central Vietnam underscores the importance of conservation efforts in the ancient tropical forests of the region.

Kathmandu -- World Wildlife Fund has awarded scholarships to four promising Nepalese conservation students in memory of the 24 people who perished in last year's Himalayan helicopter tragedy.

September 23, 2007, marked the year anniversary of the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of 24 WWF friends and colleagues. On that day, WWF celebrated their achievements and highlighted the successes of Nepalese conservationists at the local and national levels. In Nepal WWF-US President Carter Roberts was joined by Jim Leape, director general of WWF International, officials from the government of Nepal, and the families and friends of those lost. Among other events, a ceremony was held at the base of Kangchenjunga Mountain - the site of the crash - and WWF is urging the government of Nepal to declare September 23 "National Conservation Day."

WASHINGTON, DC: The unique issues related to tilapia farming in Asia will be addressed in standards for certifying tilapia aquaculture products, which are under revision in response to feedback about fish farming in Asia received at the first Tilapia Aquaculture Dialogue meeting in that country.

Washington - World Wildlife Fund officials today offered strong praise for the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in approving S. 2020, a bill that reauthorizes the Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA).

WASHINGTON DC - Senior officials from the State and Defense Departments testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in favor of a proposal under which the United States would join the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention, a major treaty governing shipping, commerce and trade across the world’s oceans.

NAIROBI, KENYA and WASHINGTON DC – With international relief organizations estimating that more than 35,000 people have fled the heavily armed conflict near Sake in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo over the past week, the World Wildlife Fund warned that the habitats of several endangered species, including mountain gorillas, could be put at serious risk. 

WASHINGTON --WWF welcomes the announcement this weekend by the Australian and Indonesian governments of the Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership. The Australian Government aims to contribute $30 million over four years to the partnership and encourages other government, private sector and non-government organizations to meet a target of $100 million to protect and rehabilitate large areas of forest across Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo).

WASHINGTON— A new report on the fate of polar bears in a world of rapid climate change predicts disaster for one of the world's most charismatic species, World Wildlife Fund said today.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - At yesterday's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, 21 world leaders endorsed a new proposal to safeguard the rich marine resources of the Indo-Pacific region for future generations. The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security aims to bring together six governments in a multilateral partnership to conserve the extraordinary marine life in the region. The proposal was endorsed in the Sydney APEC Leaders' Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development.  U.S. President George W. Bush welcomed this Initiative during the Summit.

WASHINGTON- Dr. Eric Dinerstein, Chief Scientist and Vice-President for Conservation Science at World Wildlife Fund testified before the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans of the House Committee on Natural Resources today on three bills - H.R. 1464, the Great Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Act of 2007, H.R. 1913, the Great Cats Conservation Act of 2007, and H.R. 1771, the Crane Conservation Act of 2007. Modeled on the highly successful conservation programs for elephants, rhinos, tigers, great apes, sea turtles and neotropical migratory birds, the bills would establish conservation programs to protect some of the world's most endangered and iconic species.

Imagine having the ability to save an entire ancient ecosystem in the Congo from irreversible destruction or finding a new habitat for polar bears in the arctic.  What about relocating a rhino or genetically pure bison to start a new herd of these endangered animals?  Supporting critical projects such as these, and a hundred more, are now possible with the launch of World Wildlife Fund’s “Extraordinary Gifts Catalog.”

SAN DIEGO-The world's first certified sustainable tuna fishery was announced today, a move that could help save one of the world's most valuable fish - and the fishing industry that relies on it - from extinction.

WASHINGTON—World Wildlife Fund and the Allianz Foundation for North America today announced a new opportunity for high school students displaced by Katrina and now residing in nine U.S. cities to assess the climate change vulnerability of the Southeastern United States.

BEIJING-- The reported sighting of a Yangtze River dolphin, or Baiji, means there is still a chance for people to take further action and protect the cetaceans in the Yangtze from extinction, according to World Wildlife Fund.

Customs and the Frontier Service in the Primorskii province in the Russian Far East have seized a massive cache of illegal wildlife products bound for China.

Bangkok - A Bangkok luxury store owner was convicted today for breaching Thailand's wildlife protection law. The store owner, Mr Reyaz Ahmad Mir, an Indian national from Kashmir, pleaded guilty to charges of illegally importing and selling "shahtoosh" shawls made from the wool derived from poaching highly endangered Tibetan Antelopes (Pantholops hodgsonii).

WASHINGTON, DC: Mollusc producers and buyers, as well as other stakeholders, from throughout the United States and Canada will meet in Oregon October 12th to discuss standards for the certification of mollusc aquaculture products, which make up one-quarter of the world's aquaculture production.

WASHINGTON, DC: Pangasius producers and buyers, as well as other stakeholders, from throughout the world will meet in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam September 26-27 to begin developing standards for certifying Pangasius aquaculture products - one of the fastest growing types of aquaculture.

The most adorable standoff in history has begun. World Wildlife Fund today announced a contest to find the World’s Cutest Animal and is asking people worldwide to pick their choice.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following two years of transparent, multi-stakeholder meetings with many of the world's top tilapia producers and buyers, draft standards for certifying tilapia aquaculture products are developed and will be on the agenda for two high-level tilapia meetings this month.

WASHINGTON, DC: Jose Villalon, a 26-year veteran of the aquaculture industry, is the new director of World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) aquaculture program. Villalon's primary role is to oversee the Aquaculture Dialogues, a set of multi-stakeholder groups developing standards for more sustainable aquaculture production. WWF is the catalyst for the dialogues.

Washington, D.C. - A new WWF study tracking pygmy elephants by satellite shows that the remaining herds of these endangered elephants, which live only on the island of Borneo, are under threat from forest fragmentation and loss of habitat.

Quito, Ecuador—Ecuador’s President Correa today appointed Eliecer Cruz, former director of the Galápagos, World Wildlife Fund, to governor of the Galápagos Islands. Born and raised in the Galápagos Islands, Cruz protected the unique life of the islands in his work with WWF since 2003 and for eight years prior as director of the Galápagos National Park.

As you make your Back to School list, you might want to check it twice, according to World Wildlife Fund who offers ten important tips on how you can make a positive impact on the environment by making sure the school supplies that make it into your backpack are good for the Earth:

WASHINGTON – The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has approved the re-authorization for an additional five years of  conservation programs for African elephants, Asian elephants, rhinos and tigers. The Senate Committee adopted H.R. 465 and H.R. 50, which were passed by the House of Representatives on July 23. There were no amendments and the two bills are expected to be adopted by the Senate by unanimous consent and then head to the President’s desk for signature.

The vast semi-arid grasslands of the Northern Great Plains are laced with some of the longest stretches of free-flowing rivers in North America. These freshwater ribbons of life are habitat for species such as river otters, beavers and the endangered pallid sturgeon. Like many rivers and streams worldwide, they are challenged by dams and reservoirs, the diversion of streams for irrigation and unsustainable cattle grazing.

In the plains of Montana, WWF is a partnering with the Gros Ventre, Assiniboine and Chippewa-Cree communities to learn how the restoration of cougar populations would affect the residents and economies of the Fort Belknap and Rocky Boys Indian Reservations. The Fort Belknap Reservation is home to the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine tribes, while the Chippewa-Cree live on the Rocky Boys Reservation.

Washington -- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and its partners are taking swift action to protect critically endangered mountain gorillas after three females and one male silverback were discovered shot to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

WASHINGTON - A WWF camera trap inside an Indonesian national park has captured photographs of a Sumatran tiger in the wild that appears to have escaped from a snare by cutting its paw off.

Tam Ky, Quang Nam, Vietnam – A team of scientists from WWF and Conservation International (CI) has discovered the world’s largest known population of grey-shanked doucs (Pygathrix cinerea), increasing chances that the Endangered monkey can be saved from extinction.

WASHINGTON  — A new study published today in the journal BioScience presents a first-ever natural classification system of the world’s coastal waters that will help improve priority setting and conservation planning for marine habitats. The report, titled "Marine Ecoregions of the World: a bioregionalization of coast and shelf areas" was written by lead authors Mark Spalding, senior marine scientist at The Nature Conservancy and Helen Fox, marine biologist at World Wildlife Fund, along with coauthors from 10 partner organizations.

Lake Malawi-Niassa-Nyasa is widely recognized as the most biologically important lake in the world. It is home to over 1,000 fish species - 95 percent of them endemic to the lake, including hundreds of species of cichlids. Yet this biological richness occurs alongside extreme human poverty. Fishing communities live well below the official poverty line, and the lake's fisheries resources are under threat from overfishing.

Lake Chiuta-Amaramba straddles the border between Mozambique and Malawi, south of Lake Malawi-Niassa-Nyasa. The region contains a unique assemblage of wildlife, fish and waterbird species. Covering almost 541,400 acres, the area is extremely remote, served only by dirt roads that become impassable in the rainy season. Indicators for development are among the lowest in the country, with literacy at 15 percent and access to health care essentially nonexistent.

Coral reefs attract a diverse abundance of marine animals and plants that rely on each other for food and shelter. They create rich spawning grounds for fisheries and feeding grounds for sea turtles. They protect coastal areas from extreme ocean storms. They provide areas for tourism and recreation. There is even evidence that some organisms found within the reefs are a valuable resource for modern medicine.

WASHINGTON – Carter Roberts, president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund, issued the following statement in reaction to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne's announcement that the bald eagle will be taken off the list of protected species under the Endangered Species Act. Scientists attribute the bird's recovery to a 1972 ban in the United States on DDT, a pesticide that ruins the eggs of many birds, and strict protections under the Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws.

WASHINGTON—World Wildlife Fund today announced its opposition to a plan by Planktos, Inc. (OTCBB: PLKT) to dump iron dust in the open ocean west of the Galapagos Islands. The experiment seeks to induce phytoplankton blooms in the hopes that the microscopic marine plants will absorb carbon dioxide. The company is speculating on lucrative ways to combat climate change.

The Hague, The Netherlands - The 14th CITES Conference ended today with TRAFFIC and WWF applauding some sound conservation decisions, but ruing other missed opportunities.

WASHINGTON – Carter Roberts, president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund, issued the following statement in reaction to today’s 5-4 ruling by the United States Supreme Court on the Endangered Species Act (ESA). WWF joined other environmental groups as an amicus in the case. In a previous ruling, the court had given the ESA "first priority" over all other federal action.

WASHINGTON - A new WWF study released today finds that the production of farmed salmon in Chile's unique Patagonian lakes has doubled in the last decade, contaminating them with nutrient pollution, invasive species, disease, and harmful chemicals. The study urges the Chilean industry to move salmon smolt production out of freshwater ecosystems to closed-containment recirculation systems on land. This move would reduce environmental pressures and increase Chile's competitiveness in the global salmon trade. The majority of salmon consumed in the U.S. is farmed, and the bulk of it comes from Chile.

WASHINGTON – Raising captive tigers for trade in tiger parts was rejected by CITES member countries today and China was urged to phase out its large-scale commercial tiger farms, a major victory for wild tiger conservation, according to World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., - Intel Corporation and Google joined with Dell, EDS, the Environmental Protection Agency, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, World Wildlife Fund, and more than a dozen additional organizations today announcing their intent to form the Climate Savers Computing Initiative (www.climatesaverscomputing.org). The goal of the new broad-based environmental effort is to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by setting aggressive new targets for energy-efficient computers and components, and promoting the adoption of energy-efficient computers and power management tools worldwide.

WASHINGTON – Today trade restrictions were approved for sawfish–large rays related to sharks, with distinctive toothed snouts that are found off the East Coast of the United States and other places—according to World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC.

Vladivostok, Russia—Adding the second national park for Siberian tigers in the span of one week, the Russian Government this past weekend established “Udege Legend” National Park for tiger conservation and the cultural preservation of an indigenous way of life. Now Russia’s protected a total of 419,000 acres of Siberian or Amur tiger habitat as national park.

Sitka, Alaska — The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the federal body charged with managing fisheries in the Bering Sea and North Pacific, has voted unanimously to designate 115,000 square miles of northern Bering Sea marine habitat as “essential fish habitat.”  The designation will prohibit bottom trawling in Arctic waters until scientists and the fishing industry can prove that bottom trawling will have no negative impacts on marine life or coastal communities.  Bottom trawling is a fishing practice which involves towing trawl nets along the sea floor, disturbing sensitive seafloor habitat and indiscriminately capturing marine organisms.

WASHINGTON – Two shark species highly prized for their meat and fins have not gained trade protection under CITES, the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, say World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC.

WASHINGTON - A two-storey-high photo mosaic of a tiger, created from personal photos of nearly 25,000 tiger lovers worldwide, was unveiled in The Netherlands today to urge world leaders to end all trade in tigers. Individuals from more than 140 countries contributed their pictures to it.

Kamchatka, Russia—At about 8 pm local time on June 7, water reached the top of the dam which formed on the Geyser River in Kamchatka’s Valley of the Geysers, part of the Volcanoes of Kamchatka UNESCO World Heritage Site, after a massive landslide on June 3.  Water went over the top of the dam, immediately taking over a meter of mud and debris off the top, and the level of the newly formed lake dropped by over 16 feet.

Vladivostok, Russia— Following more than a decade of study and advocacy by World Wildlife Fund, the Russian Government this week created the 200,000 acre Zov Tigra National Park, the first national park for the Siberian tiger.

Kamchatka, Russia—Following today’s discussion of dynamiting or using heavy machines to remove landslide mud and debris from Kamchatka’s Valley of the Geysers at a special commission meeting in the capitol of Kamchatka, World Wildlife Fund states that natural transformation of the valley must take its course.

The Hague, The Netherlands – An increase in the volume of rhino horn entering illegal trade from Africa since 2000 could be placing some rhino populations at serious risk, according to new research from TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network of WWF and IUCN.

BEIJING - The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) today pledged to lead its global beverage operations, including those of its franchise bottlers, to replace the water it uses in its beverages and their production. The Company will focus its actions in three core areas: 1) reducing the water used to produce its beverages, 2) recycling water used for beverage manufacturing processes, and 3) replenishing water in communities and nature.

CHADRON, NE – The U.S. Forest Service today released its draft plan that may drastically increase the poisoning of prairie dog colonies this fall throughout the Buffalo Gap and Fort Pierre National Grasslands in South Dakota and the Oglala National Grassland in Nebraska. Widespread poisoning could kill tens of thousands of prairie dogs, which would jeopardize the continued recovery of the critically imperiled black-footed ferret, the most endangered mammal in North America. The plan would also harm other wildlife that depend on prairie dogs for food or prairie dog burrows for shelter, including rare species such as swift foxes, burrowing owls and ferruginous hawks.

The Hague – In the cover story of this month’s BioScience journal, leading tiger experts warn that if tigers are to survive, governments must stop all trade in tiger products from wild and captive-bred sources, as well as ramp up efforts to conserve the species and their habitats. The paper, “The Fate of Wild Tigers,” describes the wild tiger's population decline as "catastrophic" and urges international cooperation to ensure the animal's continued existence in the wild.

Only 31 rhinoceros were counted during a 10-day survey, from May 17-27, 2007 conducted in Bardia National Park, according to the national authority, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation in Nepal. The previous rhino census, carried out in 2000 in this park found a total of 67 rhinos - 37 in the Geruwa River floodplain, and 30 in the Babai River floodplain.

Kamchatka, Russia—One of only five places on Earth where a concentration of geysers punch holes through the Earth’s crust to spew boiling water and steam skyward disappeared under water within hours after a massive slide of boulders, gravel, snow and ice choked the Geyser River in the world-famous Valley of the Geysers in Kamchatka’s Kronotsky Nature Preserve, according to World Wildlife Fund. The four other places are in Yellowstone National Park, Chile, Iceland and New Zealand.

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – The 59th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) ended today with political wrangling and self-interest preventing significant developments for whale conservation.

Reducing pesticide runoff from the agricultural plantations in the Mesoamerican Reef watershed is critical to the conservation of its reef. The steep mountains of Honduras and the region's strong rains make agriculture a particularly serious threat to the reefs as large amounts of sediment and agrochemicals flow down to the sea. Pesticide runoff and increased sedimentation may cause reduction in the reproduction and viability of the corals along with affecting the health of local communities by contaminating marine species that are commonly consumed.

The first 24 participants in WWF's nature reserve management course have graduated from the three-year program. WWF initiated this first-of-its kind program in Xi'an (Shaanxi Province) in 2004 to address the increasing demand of nature reserves in the Qinling Mountains for a higher level of technical knowledge and capacity among their staff.

Washington, D.C. - The Blue Moon Fund recently awarded WWF a grant to ensure that construction of the Madeira dams in the Amazon River basin does not permanently harm the region's biodiversity, economic potential and local communities. Established in 2002, the Blue Moon Fund supports nonprofit organizations working to build a sustainable balance between humans and nature.

In the spring of 2007, WWF helped establish no-take zones and beach management units (BMUs) for sustainable community fisheries within and outside of Kenya's Kiunga Marine National Reserve in the Lamu district. To date, 15 zones have been established within the reserve and six outside of the reserve. The zones are implemented and designed by local communities and are used for monitoring and research. BMUs established in the area enforce fisheries management and issue licenses to fishermen. They also increase empowerment and local resource ownership within the communities. There are six BMUs now in a pilot phase. These are the first steps towards scaling up the Lamu Archipelago as the second seascape program for Coastal East Africa.

In the Gulf of California's Bahia de Kino, WWF in collaboration with the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) and Comunidad y Biodiversidad A.C. (COBI A.C.), a local environmental organization, works with local fishermen to establish sustainable fishing practices in the San Pedro Martir Island Biosphere Reserve. The reserve harbors an array of marine animals such as brown and blue-footed boobies, and is also home to one of the Gulf of California's largest sea lion colonies.

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – Late in the evening, at the 59th meeting of the International Whaling Commission meeting, governments expressed concern over potential threats oil and gas drilling in Bristol Bay may have to the eastern North Pacific right whale, the most endangered whale population in the world. A planned lease sale area in Bristol Bay overlaps with critical habitat designated for the whale. Fifteen other cetacean species that occur in Bristol Bay including the endangered bowhead, blue, fin, sei, humpback and sperm whales could also be affected.

As part of the newly-created HSBC Climate Partnership announced on May 30, 2007, WWF will receive $35 million to help protect four of the world's major rivers from the impacts of climate change. WWF is part of a five-year, $100 million partnership created in response to the urgent threat of global climate change. The Climate Partnership comprises WWF, The Climate Group, Earthwatch Institute, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and HSBC itself. It will:

In November 2006 WWF and HP began collaborating on several pioneering initiatives to address the causes and consequences of climate change. Through WWF's Climate Savers program, HP officials pledged to reduce emissions from operations and the use of its products by six million tons below 2005 levels by 2010. In addition, the company committed to reduce energy consumption by 15 percent in its operations from 2005 levels, while achieving a 25 percent reduction in the energy used by its products and operations combined below 2005 levels by 2010. HP has also committed to educate and inspire others to adopt best practices, and use HP technology in conservation efforts around the world.

WASHINGTON – Despite the enormous potential of energy efficiency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the planet from dangerous climate change, too many of the existing efficiency policies and measures in the G8 industrialized countries, including the United States, are ineffective according to a new WWF report, Making Energy Efficiency Happen: From Potential To Realization. The report outlines what each of the G8 plus 5 countries can do to save energy and the climate while promoting their energy security with sustainable economic growth.

ANCHORAGE - At the 59th meeting of the International Whaling Commission, WWF released a new report detailing the potential threats oil and gas drilling in Bristol Bay would have to the eastern North Pacific right whale, the most endangered whale population in the world. Fifteen cetacean species occur in Bristol Bay, a spectacularly rich area of marine life, including the endangered bowhead, blue, fin, sei, humpback and sperm whales. A planned lease sale area in Bristol Bay overlaps with critical habitat designated for the eastern North Pacific right.

WASHINGTON – Whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans) are facing increasing threats from climate change, according to a new report published by WWF and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) released in advance of the 59th meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Anchorage, Alaska, May 28-31.

World Wildlife Fund today introduced a bold consumer campaign created to aid in the world's fight against global warming.  A series of public service announcements will air this month dramatically demonstrating how unchecked climate change will affect average lives.  The new public service announcements show a young boy playing baseball elbow deep in water and a couple being married amid a torrential hurricane.

WASHINGTON – One of the world’s largest and least studied freshwater turtles has been found in Cambodia’s Mekong River, raising hopes that the threatened species can be saved from extinction. Scientists from World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, the Cambodian Fisheries Administration, and the Cambodian Turtle Conservation Team captured and released a 24.2 pound female Cantor’s giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys cantorii) during a survey in March.

WASHINGTON– Ahead of the world's major international meeting on wildlife trade, World Wildlife Fund releases its top ten list of species needing global action now to reduce threats from trade.

This spring on the great American prairie brings more than the year's first rains and renewed prairie grasses. WWF recently welcomed three newborn calves to Montana's American Prairie Reserve. The two females and one male are now part of a conservation herd originally from South Dakota's Wind Cave National Park. With the arrival of these spring calves, there are now 42 bison in the American Prairie Reserve herd.

WASHINGTON – President Bush today issued a statement supporting U.S. accession to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a clear sign to the new 110th Senate to act quickly to join the treaty which governs use of the world’s oceans.  Senate approval is the final step for the U.S. to formally join more than 140 nations that have already ratified or accessed to the Convention.

WASHINGTON– Sustainable energy and technology can curb climate change and meet projected growth in demand for energy but only if key decisions are made within the next five years, according to a new WWF report.  Climate Solutions: WWF’s vision for 2050 concludes that sustainable technologies can meet global projected energy demand while avoiding the most dangerous impacts of climate change.  But it warns that the governmental policies needed to propel this transition are not now in place, or even in prospect in most cases. 

WASHINGTON– Asian-run organized crime syndicates based in Africa are behind the increase in illegal trade in elephant ivory, according to a study by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network of WWF and IUCN - The World Conservation Union.  The report is based on an analysis of almost 12,400 ivory seizure cases from 82 countries recorded since 1989 in the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) – the world’s largest database of elephant product seizure records. 

Cali, Colombia - In recognition of his groundbreaking work to conserve South America's pink river dolphins, Dr. Fernando Trujillo was awarded both the Whitley Award sponsored by HSBC Holdings and the Whitley Gold Award, the Whitley Fund for Nature's most prestigious honor. Dr. Trujillo is the founder and scientific director of the Fundación Omacha - a partner of WWF-Colombia in the Amazon and Orinoco Basins. With support from WWF and its local partners, Dr. Trujillo is working with a team of young South American scientists to survey river dolphin populations along the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers and their tributaries in Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Central to his work is a strong campaign to stop the killing of dolphins and other endangered species for use in the catfish industry.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change today released a report that outlines options for addressing global warming. According to the report, global warming can be stopped for 0.1 percent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product per year. Emissions would have to begin to decline before 2015 and 50 to 85 percent of CO2 emissions would have to be cut by the middle of this century, according to the Summary for Policy Makers released today. Doing nothing will cost up to 20 times more and bring about suffering and hardship, according to the most recent science.

In the Galapagos Islands, the women of Isabela Island's Pescado Azul "Blue Fish" Women's Cooperative have been awarded the United Nation's Equator Prize. Five winners were selected from over 300 nominations from 70 countries. The prize recognizes extraordinary work to diminish poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The prize, awarded biennially since 2002, serves to further advance the understanding within the global community of the vital link between healthy, biologically diverse environments and the creation of sustainable livelihoods. WWF nominated Blue Fish for the award. In collaboration with Wildaid, WWF has supported this cooperative for several years with the provision of technical assistance, training and funding.

The dramatic effect climate change is having on our oceans is especially evident in the waters surrounding the island nation of Madagascar, which boasts some of the richest arrays of marine biodiversity in the Indian Ocean.

WASHINGTON – WWF has captured the first-ever "camera trap" footage of a species that just a few people have ever seen. WWF and Malaysia’s Sabah Wildlife Department released footage of a Borneo Rhino which shows it eating, walking to the camera and sniffing the equipment. The first still photo of a Borneo rhino was captured only last year.

Vladivostok, Russia—Following the April 18 announcement that only 25 to 34 of the Amur or Far Eastern leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) remain in the wild, World Wildlife Fund says the number must now be revised because a female Amur leopard was killed.

After a decade of conservation efforts, the mountain gorillas in Eastern Africa are showing a slow but steady comeback, according to WWF, the global conservation organization.

WWF and twenty-nine other tiger conservation groups this week launched a worldwide campaign to collect supporters’ pictures that will be part of the world’s largest photo mosaic of a tiger. The finished mosaic will be unveiled to world leaders in June as they gather to discuss trade in endangered species at the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) meeting in The Hague, Netherlands.

WASHINGTON – Representatives Jay Inslee (D-WA), Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), and Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) are expected to introduce legislation today in the U.S. House of Representatives that would permanently prohibit oil and gas leasing in Bristol Bay, Alaska and the surrounding waters in the Bering Sea.

WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund today named a native Peruvian who specializes on the Amazon rainforest and a marine researcher as its 2007 Fuller Fellows.  Dr. Gabriela Nuñez-Iturri and Dr. Eric Treml will receive a $50,000 stipend and $15,000 in research funds for two years as well as access to WWF’s global network of scientists and conservationists.  They will also have the opportunity to link their post-doctoral research to on-the-ground conservation work at WWF sites. 

WASHINGTON– Following Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa’s emergency decree stating the Galápagos are at risk and formalizing their status as a national conservation priority, World Wildlife Fund experts are available to comment on and discuss conservation in the Galápagos based on WWF’s forty years of experience working there.

Vladivostok, Russia—A new census of the world’s most endangered cat, the Amur or Far Eastern leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), shows that as few as 25 to 34 are left in the wild, renewing fears for the future of the species.

From organizing an Earth Day-themed karaoke fundraiser to participating in a trash clean-up in their local community, Americans have pledged to take action to conserve mother earth for Earth Day 2007. More than 2,000 people have made pledges for change on World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Day website.

Kathmandu, Nepal – The world’s leading tiger experts and delegates from at least 12 countries are gathering in Nepal this week to discuss the future of the world’s endangered wild tigers at the International Tiger Symposium and Global Tiger Forum. WWF and TRAFFIC scientists, policy experts and wildlife trade authorities are available to provide updates and comment on the meetings.

Sixteen college students from around the country have been selected to study conservation in the United States and Brazil through an environmental leadership program developed by Nissan North America (NNA) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Now in its second year, the Nissan-WWF Environmental Leadership Program provides student leaders the opportunity to examine environmental issues and become effective advocates for conservation. The program is part of a $1 million partnership between NNA and WWF which will also help support WWF field conservation projects in the United States and Brazil.

Sixteen college students from around the country have been selected to study conservation in the United States and Brazilthrough an environmental leadership program developed by Nissan North America (NNA) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Now in its second year, the Nissan-WWF Environmental Leadership Program provides student leaders the opportunity to examine environmental issues and become effective advocates for conservation. The program is part of a $1 million partnership between NNA and WWF which will also help support WWF field conservation projects in the United States and Brazil.

WASHINGTON: The Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today honored WWF’s Smartgear competition which aims to make fishing gear more wildlife-friendly. The recognition is part of the agency’s second-annual Sustainable Fisheries Leadership Award. The awards will be presented at a dinner in Washington, D.C., on June 7.

WASHINGTON ­– A new report from WWF shows how global warming threatens ten of the world’s greatest natural wonders, including two in the United States.  Saving the World's Natural Wonders from Climate Change finds that global warming is already affecting places like the Amazon and Himalayas.

The science is clear, climate change is threatening our livelihoods and destroying the future of many species. Governments should stop questioning the facts and watering down the science. They must act now and reduce emissions to rescue us from the worst effects of climate change, such as floods, droughts, storms and heat waves.

From polar bears to coral reefs, the natural world is facing up to mass extinctions unless governments are prepared to act now and make meaningful cuts in CO2 emissions. Just a 2°C hike in global temperature will lead to a serious change in the world we live in, while anything above 2°C could result in a major collapse of the natural environment. This latest IPCC report may show that it’s already too late to prevent some of global warming's impacts. The natural world can only adapt to so much, warns WWF.

The U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans has passed two bills that provide funding for programs that protect endangered rhinos, tigers and elephants:

More than 1,000 endangered Humphead Wrasse are en route home after being rescued from poachers in the Philippines this past December. The poachers were apprehended inside Tubbataha Reef Natural Park, a national marine protected area, carrying the Wrasse along with 400 other fish.

WASHINGTON - The Rio Grande is among the world's top ten rivers at risk, according to a report by the same name released today by World Wildlife Fund. The WWF report, World's Top 10 Rivers at Risk, names the world's rivers that are facing widespread degradation while millions of people depend on them for survival.

Placencia, Belize — A WWF survey shows that rising temperatures, altered rainfall and coral bleaching are among the main threats to Central America's Mesoamerican Reef.

MOSCOW - Responding to appeals from World Wildlife Fund and other conservationists, the Russian Government agreed to re-route part of the new East Siberia-Pacific Ocean Pipeline sparing the last remaining habitat of the Amur leopard, the world's most endangered cat.

WASHINGTON- Any easing of the current Chinese ban on trading products made from tigers is likely a death sentence for the endangered cats, according to a new TRAFFIC report released today by World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC-the wildlife trade monitoring program of WWF and IUCN.

Washington – A new report, the first to take a comprehensive look at market competition between wild and farmed salmon, sheds new light on the contentious and complex issues surrounding farmed and wild salmon.

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2007 –  World Wildlife Fund is asking Americans to take control over the fate of the planet during the 50 days leading up to Earth Day by challenging everyone to make a change in their lives to stop global warming, conserve our natural resources and protect the diversity of life on earth.

WASHINGTON— Eric Dinerstein’s book Tigerland has won the 2007 AAAS/Subaru Science Book and Films (SB&F) Prize for Excellence in Science Books in the Young Adult category.  The awards are given for recently published works that promote scientific literacy, are scientifically sound, and foster an understanding and appreciation of science in readers of all ages.

WASHINGTON, February 14, 2007 – Bridal gowns may still be white, but weddings are turning green according to World Wildlife Fund, who today unveils its first-ever green weddings website for engaged couples looking to make their big day not only memorable, but also environmentally friendly.

Bali, Indonesia – An historic declaration to conserve the “Heart of Borneo” was officially signed today between the three Bornean governments - Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia. The tri-country declaration will conserve and sustainably manage one of the most important centers of biological diversity in the world.  The Heart of Borneo is an area of equatorial rainforest larger than Kansas, covering nearly a third of the island.

WASHINGTON – The third annual WWF International Smart Gear Competition launched today seeking new designs for fishing gear that reduces marine bycatch – the accidental catch and related deaths of marine mammals, birds, sea turtles and non-target fish species in fishing gear.  Many millions of tons of what is caught in the course of fishing are thrown back into the sea dead or dying each year. 

WASHINGTON, February 5, 2007 – Skip the traditional chocolates and flowers for your sweetie this Valentine’s Day. World Wildlife Fund suggests another option – a red-eyed tree frog. Through World Wildlife Fund’s symbolic animal adoption program gift-givers can adopt an animal in honor of a friend or loved one. Adoption levels range in price from $25 to $250. All adoptions of $50 or more come with a stuffed animal version of the species adopted – so they’ll have something to cuddle – and for Valentine’s Day the animal plush comes nestled in a red, exclusive “Happy Valentine’s Day” pouch.

Dr. Curtis “Curt” Freese, managing director of WWF’s Northern Great Plains program is the 2007 recipient of the George B. Rabb Conservation Award, presented by the Chicago Zoological Society to honor the lifetime accomplishments of Dr. George B. Rabb, president emeritus of the Society.

WASHINGTON – Carter Roberts, president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund, issued the following statement regarding the forthcoming report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC):

WASHINGTON, January 31, 2007 – As the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts get ready to face off in this year’s Super Bowl match up, analysts and sports enthusiasts alike are hard at work prophesizing who the victor will be. But instead of looking at the teams based on their offensive firepower or defensive might, World Wildlife Fund has decided to explore how this match up would turn out in the wild. Put up against each other head-to-head, who would win in a battle, a bear or a colt?

WASHINGTON – Carter Roberts, president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund, issued the following statement following President Bush’s State of the Union address.

WASHINGTON — Important stocks of tuna are at now at risk of commercial extinction due to weak management warns a WWF briefing paper released ahead of the first meeting of the world’s five tuna management organizations that comprise the main mechanism for regulating fishing on the high seas – areas beyond national laws – where most tuna catches occur.

GALAPAGOS- Beginning January 21, visitors to the Galapagos Islands aboard Ecoventura's yachts can help protect its extraordinary plant, animal, and marine life through voluntary donations to the new Galapagos Marine Biodiversity Fund established in partnership with World Wildlife Fund. WWF will manage the fund which will support conservation projects related to marine conservation and education, and if needed, to respond to ecological emergencies such as oil spills.

Just last month, staff of the WWF-funded Dzanga-Sangha Primate Habituation Programme witnessed the birth of a new infant into the Makumba group of western lowland gorillas, which lives in the Central Africa Republic's Dzanga-Ndoki National Park. The newborn was named Mowane - meaning "gift of God" in the local Bantu language.

WASHINGTON - Russian law enforcement officials today seized three Siberian tiger skins, eight tiger paws and 332 tiger bones as well as 531 saiga horns and 283 Asiatic black bear paws near the Russian border with China, making it the the largest bust of its kind in at least a decade. The seizure took place in a village near Russia's eastern border with China in an area where World Wildlife Fund (WWF) works with government authorities to combat the illegal trade of wildlife products when police stopped a car that had its passenger seats removed and was stuffed full of bags. The driver claimed to be delivering bags of potatoes but upon inspection police discovered the animal parts.

WASHINGTON – Two solitary silverback gorillas have been killed by rebels allied to a local warlord in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the last ten days. This is the latest in a series of poaching incidents, which also include hippos and buffaloes, over the last few weeks during violent clashes between the DRC army (FARDC) and rebels in the area.

WWF and a coalition of regional and national conservation groups is protecting the U.S. Southeast Rivers and Streams - home to the highest number of endemic freshwater fauna in North America. Along with our partners, we are urging federal agencies to fully and carefully assess the impacts of coal mining on the region's most vulnerable wildlife - as required by law.

WASHINGTON - Coffee lovers the world over are unknowingly drinking coffee that was illegally grown inside one of the world's most important national parks for tigers, elephants and rhinos, according to an investigative report released today by World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Illegally grown coffee from Indonesia is mixed with legally grown coffee beans and sold to such companies as Kraft Foods and Nestle among other major companies in the U.S. and abroad.

WASHINGTON- New studies published this month in the scientific journal Biological Conservation document an amazing concentration of over 1000 species unique -- or endemic -- to an area slightly larger than Rhode Island in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and Kenya. This remaining habitat in the Eastern Arcs has the highest concentration of endemic animals in Africa and is increasingly endangered by complex threats.

WASHINGTON - WWF today applauded the leaders of the three nations on the island of Borneo - Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia - for officially endorsing an historic agreement to conserve the "Heart of Borneo," a mountainous region of rainforests about the size of Kansas that is home to pygmy elephants, rhinos and orangutans. The endorsement came in the "Leaders Statement" at the 3rd Summit of the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines - East ASEAN Growth Area.

WASHINGTON - Bill Eichbaum, managing director and vice-president of the marine portfolio at World Wildlife Fund, issued the following statement following President Bush's lifting of a ban on oil and gas drilling in Bristol Bay which has been protected since 1989 through the Presidential Withdrawal first declared by President George Herbert Bush. The U.S. government has spent $95 million to buy back the oil and gas leases it sold in Bristol Bay prior to the withdrawal.

WASHINGTON, December 28, 2006 - The following is a statement by World Wildlife Fund's vice president Bill Eichbaum on the release of information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to propose listing the polar bear as "threatened":

WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered at least 52 new species of animals and plants this past year on the island of Borneo. The discoveries, described in a new WWF report, include 30 unique fish species, two tree frog species, 16 ginger species, three tree species and one large-leafed plant species.

WASHINGTON - An expedition on the Yangtze River has ended with no sightings of baiji dolphins and experts now fear the worst for the species. The expedition also counted Yangtze finless porpoises and scientists warn that the situation is dire for this species as well but remain hopeful that it can survive in the wild.

WASHINGTON - Paparazzi-hating Hollywood stars have nothing on a camera-averse young tiger in central Sumatra that recently went on a 10-day spree of destruction that left three WWF's camera traps in pieces in the jungle. In each case, the film inside was spared and revealed that the same culprit was responsible for all three incidents. Scientists believe the camera's flash upset the tiger.

WASHINGTON, December 6, 2006 - The blue-footed booby has waddled its way into the top five list of most sought after holiday animal adoptions, easily beating out better known animals like the gorilla and penguin in World Wildlife Fund's holiday gift-giving program.

WASHINGTON - President Bush is expected to remove protections within the next week for Bristol Bay, opening what many call America's "Fish Basket" to oil and gas drilling. Bristol Bay has been protected from offshore drilling since 1989 through the Presidential Withdrawal first declared by President George Herbert Bush in 1990. But the area is currently included in the Minerals Management Service's 5-year plan to develop the Outer Continental Shelf for oil and gas development.

Technology-based solutions eyed as part of new agreement with World Wildlife Fund-US

The impetus for the partnership between the American Red Cross and WWF is a shared conviction: The only way to ensure a healthy future for disaster survivors, of all species, is through the protection and sustainable restoration of the natural systems upon which we all depend. In the wake of the 2004 tsunami, WWF was asked to provide technical support on green reconstruction to the American Red Cross in their rebuilding of devastated communities.

Washington, DC - World Wildlife Fund today launched the Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Fund, established to honor WWF's president and CEO from 1989 until 2005. The fund will support and harness the most promising research in conservation science, making it more accessible to conservationists and the scientific community. More than a third of the $10 million goal has already been raised.

WASHINGTON - A former U.S. Coast Guard cutter, overhauled and refitted by World Wildlife Fund, began patrolling the waters of the Galapagos today as the first National Park Service vessel fast enough to outrun and catch poachers at sea.

Ghost frogs, vampire bats, spindly spiders, mountains of maggots, leaping toads and spooky owls are ingredients in every witch's favorite recipe. But don't let the Halloween myths behind these creepy creatures haunt your sleep because these animals are beneficial to humans and the environment.

WASHINGTON, DC - Following this week's news that the population of the United States has now exceeded 300 million, a new report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) details the strain on the world's natural resources and the declining numbers of the animal species that depend on them, and offers solutions to reverse downward trends in both these areas.

WASHINGTON, October 23, 2006 - World Wildlife Fund today unveiled its first-ever holiday gift catalog offering unique and extraordinary gifts that give back - like symbolic animal adoptions and opportunities to support specific conservation projects around the world.

WASHINGTON - A new report released today details how one of the world's largest pulp and paper companies has broken numerous promises to protect forests in Indonesia, and is clearing forests in violation of Indonesian regulations. Many of the paper products used in homes and offices in the U.S. are supplied or manufactured by Asia Pulp & Paper (APP).

Washington, DC - Bruce Babbitt has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of World Wildlife Fund. Babbitt succeeds William K. Reilly who served as WWF Chairman since 2000. Babbitt served as Secretary of the Interior from 1993 to 2001, as Governor of Arizona from 1978 to 1987 and as Attorney General of Arizona from 1975 to 1978. He is the author of "Cities in the Wilderness," published last year by Island Press, in which he lays out a new vision of land use in America. He has served as a director of World Wildlife Fund since 2001.

Washington, DC - Bhutan's King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck has won the 2006 J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership for his three decades of work to conserve the environment of his Himalayan kingdom that is home to tigers, snow leopards and red pandas.

The insurance industry should do more to address the growing impact of climate change-induced damages, according to a new report released today. This is the first time that a major insurance company has publicly released a study of this kind in the U.S. The report examines the latest scientific findings about climate change, specifically on forest fires, storms and floods, and the potential impact on the insurance industry and its customers.

Washington - The following statement is attributable to Carter S. Roberts, president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in response to the news today that a helicopter carrying several WWF staff members and high level government representatives was reported found in Nepal with no apparent survivors.

"WWF was notified this morning that a helicopter traveling in Nepal with seven WWF staff on board has failed to arrive at its destination. The Shree Air helicopter had 20 passengers and four crew and was transporting passengers back from a conservation site at Ghunsa, in the far-east mountains of Nepal. In addition to the WWF staff members, passengers included government officials from Nepal and Finland along with representatives of organizations including USAID."

Washington - Nepal's Government today turned over conservation of the wildlife and habitats surrounding Kanchenjunga -- the world's third highest mountain -- to a coalition of local communities. World Wildlife Fund was instrumental in the decision and will work on its implementation for the next five years.

Washington - At the Clinton Global Initiative in New York today, World Wildlife Fund affirmed its commitment to a program which conserves key portions of the Amazon, preventing hundreds of millions of tons of carbon from being released into the atmosphere. The Amazon Region Protected Areas Program - known as ARPA - is the largest tropical forest conservation effort in history. It aims to safeguard the extraordinary biological diversity of the Amazon, reduce its extremely high rates of deforestation, and conserve its environmental and ecological services that provide benefits to millions of people.

WASHINGTON - Almost 25 years to the day that the black-footed ferret was rediscovered, previously having been declared extinct, federal officials announced that they are considering changing rules to allow poisoning of prairie dog towns, even the ones ferrets rely upon for survival. Among the areas being considered for poisoning is the Conata Basin near Wall, South Dakota, home to the world's only successful wild population of ferrets. September 26 is the 25th anniversary of the rediscovery of the ferrets.

World Wildlife Fund and Kamchatka Airlines on Sept. 8, 2006, helped fund the transport of 50 rare Aleutian geese by helicopter to the Ekarma Island, a remote and uninhabited island in the Northern Kurils in the Aleutian Island chain.

Jakarta, Indonesia/Washington - Scientists have found signs of four Javan rhinos born in recent weeks in Indonesia, a surprising baby boom for a species that may number fewer than 60 individuals in the wild.

Brazilia, Brazil - Deforestation rates in the Amazon are declining, but ranching, logging and agriculture activities are still responsible for continued degradation of the world's largest rainforest, according to data released by the Brazilian government.

The creation of the first international organisation to reduce negative impacts of soy production was announced at the Second Conference of the Roundtable on Responsible Soy (RTRS) which took place in Asunción, Paraguay from Aug 31 to Sep 1, 2006. The new organisation is an initiative of soy producers, processors and traders, as well as financial institutions and non governmental organisations. It is also a response to mounting consumer demand for environmental and socially sound soy.

WASHINGTON - The World Wildlife Fund today congratulated the Republic of Paraguay for its efforts in reducing deforestation rates by 85 percent. This was achieved through the implementation of the Zero Deforestation Law which prohibits the transformation and conversion of forested areas in the eastern region of Paraguay.

The storyline of this summer's blockbuster might seem far fetched but illegal wildlife trade specialists know the plot all too well. In recent years, there have been several instances of people literally smuggling snakes on a plane.

The United States applauds the vision of the Governments of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei to establish a "Heart of Borneo" conservation plan that will help conserve 220,000 square kilometers of biodiversity-rich equatorial rainforest that straddles their shared borders and which constitutes a significant portion of the island of Borneo. Secretary Condoleezza Rice announced a United States pledge of $100,000 to help advance this regional project focused on combating illegal logging and wildlife trafficking during her joint press conference with Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid in Kuala Lumpur on July 28, 2006.

WASHINGTON - For the first time in Thailand, Thai authorities busted a major smuggling ring involved in the illegal trade of shahtoosh wool, which is only obtained by killing the endangered Tibetan Antelope. During a raid on three Bangkok stores located in a high-end tourist area, police seized over 250 purported shahtoosh shawls which are well known in the fashion world for their exceptional quality. A single shawl requires wool from three to five dead antelopes.

Washington - World Wildlife Fund congratulates Sony, which has agreed to cut carbon dioxide emissions from both operations and its product range as part of a deal struck with WWF. The company's commitment, which was announced today in Tokyo, includes all its subsidiaries and its production facilities globally, including Japan, China, Europe, and the US.

WASHINGTON - The most comprehensive scientific study of tiger habitats ever done finds that the big cats reside in 40 percent less habitat than they were thought to a decade ago. The tigers now occupy only 7 percent of their historic range. The report and related materials can be downloaded at www.tigermaps.org

WASHINGTON -- Bluefin tuna stocks in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean are being stripped bare by illegal and unscrupulous fishing, warns a new World Wildlife Fund report. WWF demands an immediate closure of the fishery.

Washington - Carter S. Roberts, president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund (WWF), issued the following statement in response to the World Bank's decision to integrate its department responsible for funding large infrastructure project like dams and roads, with its department which funds environmental projects:

WASHINGTON - A new species of snake, with the ability to spontaneously change color, has been discovered in one of the most biologically diverse forests on earth, the "Heart of Borneo," a mountainous rainforest larger than Kansas. The ability to change colors is well-known in some reptiles such as the chameleon, but highly unusual and poorly understood in snakes. The, newly-named, "Kapuas-Mud-Snake" was discovered by a German researcher who described it with the collaboration of two American scientists.

Washington - France and Cameroon signed the first ever Central African debt for nature swap today. This agreement will invest at least $25 million over the next five years to protect part of the world's second largest tropical forest, home to elephants, gorillas, hundreds of bird species and indigenous groups such as the Ba'Aka pygmies.

WASHINGTON -- The first field surveys of the Rubeho Mountains in Tanzania revealed over 160 animal species -- including a new species of frog and eleven endemic species -- according to an article published in the African Journal of Ecology this month. The findings elevate the importance of protecting this biologically-rich wilderness area and the broader Eastern Arc Mountain range from destructive activities underway such as clear-cutting for agriculture, logging and poaching.

WASHINGTON, Wednesday, June 14, 2006 -- Reversing environmental degradation and reducing poverty in the developing world requires working simultaneously across local, sub-national and national levels, according to a new book by World Wildlife Fund's director of macroeconomic policy, David Reed.

Tonight, on the SCI FI Channel, TODAY Show host Matt Lauer brings home some of the dramatic changes occurring in our natural world in Countdown to Doomsday.

Washington - A motion-triggered camera trap set up in a remote jungle has captured the first-ever photo of a rhino in the wild on the island of Borneo, World Wildlife Fund and the Sabah Wildlife Department announced today.

On June 6, 2006 the Brazilian government announced the creation of new protected areas in the Amazon region totaling approximately 6.2 million acres. The Amazon is the world's largest river basin and the source of one-fifth of the earth's fresh water. It has the world's highest diversity of birds and freshwater fish, as well as the planet's largest rainforest which is home to more than one third of all species. However, the ecosystem is severely threatened by illegal logging, slash-and-burn agriculture and other human activities, and forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate.

Washington -- After nearly 50 years, the okapi -- the closest known relative to the giraffe -- has been rediscovered in Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), World Wildlife Fund announced today. This is the first sign of okapi presence in Virunga National Park since August 1959 according to official records. The discovery happened during a recent survey led by WWF and its Congolese governmental partner ICCN (the Congo Institute for Nature Conservation).

Washington - Results released today by World Wildlife Fund of the first assessment done in two years in one of Nepal's premier national parks reveal an alarming decline in tiger and rhino populations, indicating widespread poaching. The area only became accessible for visits since the ceasefire between the Maoist insurgents and government troops a month ago.

WASHINGTON D.C. philanthropists Roger and Vicki Sant have named World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as beneficiary of a $20 million charitable remainder trust, the largest single gift the organization has ever received from an individual supporter. This gift was announced Tuesday, May 23 at a World Wildlife Fund dinner at the Residence of the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Nairobi, Kenya – A region-wide partnership aimed at restoring depleted fisheries and reducing poverty was launched today by the African Union, World Bank, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and WWF.

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2006 - Eighteen college students nationwide have been selected to research environmental issues in Washington, D.C. and South Africa through a new Environmental Leadership Program developed by Nissan North America and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The program aims to empower young leaders on U.S. college campuses to become effective advocates for the environment.

WASHINGTON - Just in time for Mother's Day, five wild baby bison have been born on the plains of eastern Montana. The bison are part of a wild herd that live on a new prairie wildlife preserve and are the first bison to be born on this part of the Great Plains, the heart of their historic range, in 120 years.

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2006 - A New Jersey inventor today was awarded the grand prize in the International Smart Gear Competition for a fishing gear innovation that could save thousands of sharks a year from dying accidentally on fishing lines, World Wildlife Fund and its partners announced.

WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund announced today that it is working with the leading producers of farmed seafood including catfish, tilapia, basa, abalone, oysters, clams, scallops and mussels to improve the industry's environmental performance. Separate discussions are underway -- called "aquaculture dialogues"-- for tilapia, catfish and molluscs. All are focused on developing credible and measurable standards that could be used in investment and buyer screens or a certification program to reduce or eliminate the key impacts of the aquaculture industry.

In May 2006, WWF staff flew over the Gulf of California during a 10-day exercise to count pangas (small fishing boats), fishing campsites and aquaculture ponds in order to assess current fishing efforts and compare results to 1998 data, as well as determine the extension of aquaculture activities in the region.

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2006 - The American Red Cross and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are partnering in tsunami-affected countries to restore communities and ensure that fish, wood and other essential natural resources are available for generations to come.

Washington, D.C. - The Earth could see massive waves of species extinctions in around the world if global warming continues unabated, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Conservation Biology.

NEW YORK, NY - Nicole Kidman, George Clooney, Tobey Maguire, Mike Myers, Jeff Gordon, Donald Trump, Jason Alexander and Henry Winkler celebrate 25 years of panda conservation by World Wildlife Fund in an online auction opening today and running through Tuesday, April 18 at www.CharityFolks.com/wwf.

WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund and Coinstar, Inc. will jumpstart Earth Day awareness with a special promotion to raise funds for WWF conservation programs. From April through June, a promotional screen on Coinstar® Center kiosks will inform patrons about the plight of endangered wildlife and encourage them to donate their loose change to WWF. People who donate $15 or more during these months will have the opportunity to receive a one-year WWF membership and Li MeiTM, a limited-edition giant panda Ty Beanie Baby®.

WASHINGTON - The federal endangered species program is as good as or better at removing species from legal protection as a result of recovery efforts than similar programs operated by states, finds a new study by World Wildlife Fund. Congress is considering dramatic changes to the act. The principle champions for changing the act have long argued that the federal law is a failure since few species protected by the statute have recovered to a point where they have been removed from legal protection, or "delisted."

Georgetown, Guyana - In a record-setting accomplishment for tropical forest conservation, Barama Company announced that 570,000 hectares (about 2,200 square miles) of Barama's forests in Guyana is being certified as meeting the rigorous environmental, social, and economic standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Made possible by support from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Barama's certified forest becomes the largest tropical natural forest certified by FSC in the world.

WWF researchers have discovered that ten endangered wild Sumatran elephants are being kept chained to trees without enough food or water in the Riau Province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in violation of an agreement the government signed in 2004 known as the Riau Human-Elephant Conflict Mitigation Protocol. The elephants have been made homeless by the destruction of the forest they inhabited. Government authorities captured the elephants ten days ago after they raided crops and terrorized residents of a nearby village.

WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund today praised a surprise decision by the government of the Malaysian state of Sabah to protect its most important remaining lowland forests on the island of Borneo. This decision will permanently preserve one of just two places in the world where the endangered orangutans, Bornean Pygmy elephants and the critically endangered Sumatran rhino co-exist and where forests are still large enough to maintain viable populations of each.

ST. LOUIS - Build-A-Bear Workshop® announced today it has given $1 million to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) through the sales of its WWF Collectibear® stuffed animal series. For each plush animal sold one dollar goes to WWF to protect and conserve wildlife around the world.

WASHINGTON - More than 80 inventors have entered the second International Smart Gear Competition in the hope of winning the $25,000 grand prize for the best new fishing gear that will allow fishermen to target their intended catch while leaving whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and other marine life untouched.

WASHINGTON - Saving endangered species like pandas, gorillas and tigers helps reduce poverty and improve the lives of local communities, according to a new World Wildlife Fund report. Now as the eighth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity opens in Curitiba, Brazil, WWF urges the CBD and member governments to integrate species conservation work into efforts to alleviate poverty.

Washington - World Wildlife Fund today released the results of a field survey from the island of Borneo which found that poaching has significantly reduced Borneo's population of Sumatran rhinos, but a small group continues to survive in the "Heart of Borneo," a region covered with vast tracts of rain forest.

WASHINGTON - A team of scientists from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has developed data and created maps of the world's rivers that provide researchers with a host of valuable information about where streams and watersheds occur on the earth's landscape and how water drains the land surface. The new product, known as HydroSHEDS, provides this information globally at a resolution and quality never before available. The product is based on newly available high-resolution elevation data obtained during NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). HydroSHEDS stands for "Hydrological data and maps based on SHuttle Elevation Derivatives at multiple Scales."

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2006 - College students from around the country will study conservation in Washington, D.C. and South Africa under a new $1 million partnership between Nissan North America (NNA) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Entitled the Nissan-WWF Environmental Leadership Program, it will provide student leaders the opportunity to examine environmental issues and will also support WWF field conservation projects in the United States and South Africa.

Washington - Following the apparent poisoning of a herd of endangered Sumatran elephants last week, the Indonesian Forest Protection and Nature Conservation Agency (PHKA) and World Wildlife Fund, announced plans to immediately begin implementing a protocol to reduce human-elephant conflict in central Sumatra. PHKA also called for an immediate stop to the clearing of all natural forests remaining in Riau Province, site of ongoing human-elephant conflict.

The World Wildlife Fund was featured in an article on the front page of the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, Feb. 23.

Washington - World Wildlife Fund today announced the judging panel for this year's WWF International Smart Gear Competition. The contest was created by World Wildlife Fund to encourage the design of innovative fishing gear to reduce marine bycatch - the accidental catch and related deaths of marine mammals, birds, sea turtles and non-target fish species. This year's panel of judges is a team of experts with backgrounds in fields as diverse as gear technology, sea bird bycatch, fisheries management, biology, conservation and the seafood and fishing industries. The multi-national, multi-disciplinary panel will gather in April to select the winner who will then be awarded $25,000 for his or her innovative idea for fishing gear that will reduce marine animal deaths.

Washington, DC - Tetra Pak and WWF today signed a three year agreement to cooperate to improve management of the world's forests and to reduce industrial emissions contributing to climate change. Under the agreement, Tetra Pak will take steps to strengthen its purchasing of forest-based products from well-managed forests and to reduce its CO2 emissions over the next five years by an absolute 10 percent.

As part of its work with the Marine Stewardship Council, Wal-Mart is partnering with World Wildlife Fund and Conservation International to make improvements such as reducing harmful environmental impacts and encouraging support for broader marine eco-system management and protection activities.

WASHINGTON - A new report released today finds that the illegal trade in the Roti Island snake-necked turtle, found only on one island in Indonesia, has left it all but extinct in the wild. Exotic pet enthusiasts in Europe, North America and East Asia are fueling the illegal trade for the turtle, often without realizing that they are contributing to its demise. No legal trade of this species has been allowed since 2001.

Sabah Wildlife Department and World Wildife Fund-Malaysia (Asian Rhinoceros and Elephant Action Strategy - AREAS Project) with support from SARAYA Co. Ltd. (Japan) successfully located and treated an injured Borneo Pygmy elephant at Bukit Permata, Lower Kinabatangan on Jan. 24, 2006.

Medford -- A new report released today by scientists, former Forest Service employees, and conservation groups indicates that logging within the Biscuit fire area of southwest Oregon is costing the public both ecologically and economically. According to the report, the Forest Service has lost approximately $14 million in sale preparation and administration costs on the Biscuit fire area. Biscuit timber sold for about 70 percent less than the agency projected in its planning documents due primarily to low bid values received and driven by expensive helicopter logging operations.

In an effort to reduce the effects of global warming, including an increase in polar bear drownings, World Wildlife Fund is working to educate people, businesses and governments around the world about the importance of reducing CO2 emissions.

Washington -- Conservationists have long debated whether it is more effective to focus on areas with many unique (endemic) species or on areas with many species overall. A paper authored by scientists from WWF and the University of Virginia and published today in the journal Nature, sheds new light on this debate, finding that conserving places with many endemic species will also conserve overall species richness.

Fifteen students representing grades three through six at Spring Hill Elementary School in McLean, Virginia, on Dec. 13 joined Amazon experts from World Wildlife Fund, the World Bank, and the Brazilian government to discuss the theme of conservation and the Amazon.

Thanks to support from World Wildlife Fund activists, the U.S. Senate voted on Dec. 21, 2005, to strip a provision allowing oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from an unrelated bill appropriating funding to the Defense Department. Republican Sens. Mike DeWine (Ohio) and Lincoln Chafee (R.I.), as well as Independent Jim Jeffords (Vt.), voted with the majority of Democratic senators to achieve this big win. Only four Democratic senators voted wrong: Mary Landrieu (La.), Daniel Inouye (Hawaii) Ben Nelson (Nebr.), and Daniel Akaka (Hawaii.). Efforts in Congress to open the refuge to drilling in 2005 appear to be over, but the issue may return in 2006.

World Wildlife Fund this week introduced its new Public Service Advertising (PSA) campaign titled "People and Places."

Washington -- The same satellite system used by the U.S. military to track vehicle convoys in Iraq is helping World Wildlife Fund shed light on the little-known world of pygmy elephants in Borneo.

One year after the Southeast Asian tsunami, reconstruction is finally under way. But some of the hardest hit areas risk sowing the seeds of future disasters unless donor countries include sustainably sourced building materials in their long-term aid packages, according to experts from the World Wildlife Fund.

Washington, D.C. - Safeguarding 595 sites around the world would help stave off an imminent global extinction crisis, according to new research published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (www.pnas.org).

A World Wildlife Fund report released last week said that 2005 is on track to be the warmest year on record, surpassing the record set in the 1998 El Niño year. By October of this year, NASA reported that the global average temperature was already 0.06ºC (0.1ºF) warmer than 1998.

WASHINGTON - December marks the 25th anniversary of wild panda conservation by World Wildlife Fund and China. On December 23, 1980, World Wildlife Fund and Chinese researchers headed into the cold mountains of southwestern China to conduct the first-ever intensive research program on wild pandas, their habitat and their behavior. A quarter century of work moved giant pandas from the brink of extinction to a solid foundation for survival if conservation efforts continue.

A week ahead of a key Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol in Montreal, Canada, the global conservation organization's report " Are we putting our fish in hot water? " shows that global warming is causing the world's waters to warm while rainfall patterns, currents and sea levels are changing.

WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund today announced the launch of the second WWF International Smart Gear Competition. The contest seeks innovative fishing gear that reduces marine bycatch-the accidental catch and related deaths of marine mammals, birds, sea turtles and non-target fish species in fishing gear such as nets and longlines.

Washington, DC - Looking for a great holiday gift idea? Ever think of adopting a panda, a polar bear or a snow leopard?

SANTIAGO, Chile - A recently opened pulp mill in Chile has devastated one of South America's most biologically outstanding wetlands, decimating its famed population of black-necked swans, along with most other bird life, a WWF-led team of investigators said Monday.

American Prairie Foundation (APF), a Montana-based private land trust, working in cooperation with World Wildlife Fund, today released 16 bison on a portion of 32,000 acres of prairie it owns and leases south of Malta, Montana.

WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund has two experts available to discuss avian flu, the impact to wildlife and North American quarantine policies.

Washington - The first ever comprehensive survey of Fiji's largely uncharted Great Sea Reef, the world's third longest barrier reef, has revealed a staggering array of life, including a new species of reef fish, World Wildlife Fund announced today. 

GENEVA - The pillaging of threatened fish stocks, human rights abuse and global pirate fishing operations worth more than a billion dollars are documented in a report sponsored by the Australian Government, the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and World Wildlife Fund.

The Papua New Guinea government today announced it will gazette twelve protected areas requested by local communities covering some of the most biologically diverse forests, wetlands and reefs on the planet at an event held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon's Islands announced an agreement on October 26 to jointly develop a plan to protect Western Pacific Leatherback turtles, which migrate thousands of miles to feed in the waters off California.

Washington, DC -- Who wins the prize as the world's creepiest, crawliest critter this Halloween? Check out World Wildlife Fund's "World's Scariest Animal" and cast your vote for your personal favourite among the slipperiest, slimiest and scaliest creatures in the world.

WASHINGTON - The head of World Wildlife Fund's panda conservation program is available to help journalists cover the naming and upcoming public debut of the baby panda at the National Zoo and to discuss the status of giant pandas in the wild.

WASHINGTON - The cities of Aspen and Annapolis, along with NorskeCanada (TSX:NS), a leading paper producer, have reached agreements with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Center for Energy & Climate Solutions (CECS) committing to significant actions that will reduce heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions. WWF and CECS also announced that IBM (NYSE:IBM), a participant in their Climate Savers program, has surpassed its reduction target and avoided more than 1.28 million tons of CO2 emissions since the 1998 base year of its Climate Savers goal, saving $115 million in reduced energy costs. These efforts are part of the growing trend of businesses, states and local communities taking direct action to address the challenge posed to nature and people by global warming.

"World Wildlife Fund applauds Potlatch Corporation for being a leader in responsible forest management in the U.S. With today's announcement that all 1.5 million acres of Potlatch forest land in Arkansas, Idaho, and Minnesota are now certified to the rigorous standards of the Forest Stewardship Council -- along with FSC certification for most of its processing facilities -- Potlatch joins a growing number of visionary forest products companies operating around the world. Through their corporate environmental policies and responsible forestry practices, these companies are demonstrating that responsible forestry can provide long-term, stable supplies of timber and access to markets for responsibly-produced forest products.

WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Coinstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR) today announced a two-month promotion to help save the world's big cats. Through September 30, individuals who donate $15 or more in coins through a participating Coinstar® Center will have the opportunity to receive Sundar^TM, a limited edition snow leopard Beanie Baby®. Sundar is one in a series of Beanie Babies® developed by Ty Inc. to benefit WWF.

Washington - World Wildlife Fund today invited elephant lovers to help name a Borneo pygmy elephant that will be part of the first study ever conducted on the pint-sized pachyderms.

Washington, DC - World Wildlife Fund announced today that Carter S. Roberts has become president and chief executive officer of the Washington-based World Wildlife Fund (WWF). He succeeds Kathryn S. Fuller, who stepped down after 16 years as WWF's president and CEO on June 30.

Chiang Khong, Thailand - Fishermen in northern Thailand have netted a fish as big as a grizzly bear, a 646-pound Mekong giant catfish, the heaviest recorded since Thai officials started keeping records in 1981. The behemoth was caught in the Mekong River and may be the largest freshwater fish ever found.

"We applaud Disney for making the right decision to remove shark fin from their menu because of their commitment to conservation and responsible consumption," says Ginette Hemley, Vice President for Species Conservation. "Many shark populations are under attack by man. Despite their fierce reputation, sharks are preyed upon by humans for their meat, teeth and as the ultimate fishing trophy. Disney's action today helps pull sharks from the jaws of yet another threat."

Washington, DC - Preliminary results from the first large-scale testing of specially designed fishing hooks are being presented at the annual meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission in Lanzarotte, Spain. Thus far, the results indicate they can reduce the number of endangered sea turtles killed in long line fishing operations by as much as 90 percent, World Wildlife Fund said today.

Washington - Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) have introduced legislation to replenish the federal trust fund that helps cover the costs of preventing and cleaning up oil spills. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund will be exhausted by 2009 if additional funds are not contributed to it according to a recent report from the U.S. Coast Guard. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund Maintenance Act of 2005 was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation which is chaired by Senator Stevens.

Washington - Leading marine scientists for the first time have assessed dolphin and porpoise populations around the world which are severely threatened by entanglement in fishing gear and recommended nine urgent priorities for action in a report commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund. These nine projects highlight species threatened by bycatch that are the most likely to benefit from immediate action but are languishing without intervention.

New York - WWF and the World Bank (WB) today announced an ambitious global program aimed at reducing global deforestation rates by 10% by 2010. The announcement was made at the fifth meeting of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) both as a call to action for the international community and to mark the renewal of their cooperation agreement covering the Alliance for another five years. The present rate of global deforestation is more than 14 million hectares (about 54,000 square miles) per year, roughly equal to the size of Greece. Most of the losses occur in the tropics.

WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund today contributed U.S. $3.3 million dollars to secure long-term financial sustainability for the vast system of parks and sustainable use areas now being established in the Amazon by Brazil. Today's contribution by WWF will be matched by the Global Environment Facility, resulting in a total contribution of $6.6 million dollars. World Wildlife Fund also announced its intent to raise an additional $6.7 million dollars by June 2007 to further protect these vital areas in perpetuity.

Washington, D.C. - Two global conservation groups and the U.S. forest products industry have formed a unique partnership to help the tsunami-stricken people of Indonesia rebuild their lives without destroying the already threatened tropical forests of Sumatra.

"World Wildlife Fund applauds Potlatch Corporation for being a leader in responsible forest management in the U.S. With over a million acres of forestland in Arkansas and Idaho certified to the rigorous standards of the Forest Stewardship Council, Potlatch joins a growing number of visionary forest products companies operating globally. Through their corporate environmental policies and responsible forestry practices, these companies are demonstrating that responsible forestry can provide long-term, stable supplies of timber and access to markets for responsibly-produced forest products.

Washington - Carter Roberts, president and CEO-elect of World Wildlife Fund, issued the following statement following reports that the ivory-billed woodpecker has been found in Arkansas, 60 years after it was believed to have gone extinct.

Washington, DC - As delegates prepare for the first Conference of Parties of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), to be held next week in Uruguay, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today released a list of 20 chemicals that it recommends be added to the treaty.

JAKARTA, Indonesia - With a strong endorsement from Indonesian officials, World Wildlife Fund Tuesday unveiled a set of reconstruction guidelines designed to promote both the economic and environmental recovery of tsunami-ravaged Aceh province.

Washington - In the past decade, at least 361 new species have been discovered on Borneo, one of the most important centers of biodiversity in the world. And a new report by World Wildlife Fund finds that there are likely to be thousands of plant and animal species left to discover on the world's third-largest island.

WASHINGTON - As the world prepared to observe Earth Day, World Wildlife Fund and its partners in the International Smart Gear Competition announced three new winning solutions to prevent the accidental maiming and killing of marine mammals, juvenile fish, and sea turtles that become ensnared by fishing nets and longlines - a problem known as bycatch - while also improving the efficiency of commercial fishing.

Political instability leading to increased poaching, and a lack of adequate protection over the past five years, have drastically reduced Nepal's rhino population according to World Wildlife Fund.

Washington, DC - The Peruvian Government today celebrates the creation of one of the largest combined indigenous reserves and protected areas in the world. Also, the government announces that a new commission will design a law to protect indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation in Peruvian Amazon territorial reserves.

Washington, DC - A new and unprecedented scientific study released today reinforces the need for governments, private sector, and broad international community action to protect natural systems for the sake of humanity, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Valdivia, Chile - A history of deforestation and neglect comes officially to a close for a vast stretch of some of the most threatened and biologically rich temperate rainforest in the world. Today's inauguration of the new Valdivian Coastal Reserve, 147,500 acres of coastal temperate rainforest in southern Chile, marks a major advance in overcoming an era of clearcutting and forest conversion in the area, and makes way for new public access and cooperation for local community development.

Washington - It's rare to escape a tiger attack unscathed. But a hidden camera set up in the Indonesian jungle by World Wildlife Fund has captured a rare Sumatran tiger walking through the jungle and then assaulting the camera after the flash goes off. The camera survived the attack and even took an image from inside the tiger's mouth.

College students love their mascots. They paint images of mascots on their faces and bodies, wear them on their clothes, and stick them on their car windows. Now students are helping the wild animals that have inspired dozens of college mascots around the country: big cats. Across the United States, campus groups are getting involved in WWF's Pennies for the Planet campaign - which is raising money for and awareness about big cats - and WWF is inviting more groups to join in. Check out the campaign at www.worldwildlife.org/pennies.

BRASILIA-One of the world's most ambitious conservation efforts has taken a major step forward with the declaration of two new major protected areas, comprising 9.4 million acres of rain forest, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.

Washington, DC - The Arctic and its wildlife are increasingly contaminated with chemicals and pollutants that were never produced or used in that region, warns World Wildlife Fund in a new report.

WASHINGTON - World Wildlife Fund called upon Royal Dutch Shell Wednesday to abide by the recommendations of an independent panel of renowned whale experts, which has warned that oil and gas activities in Russia's Far East may drive the critically endangered western gray whale into extinction.

Washington, DC - An independent assessment of the impact of an oil and gas development in the Russian Far East on endangered gray whales must dictate the fate of current Shell operations, a proposed offshore platform and undersea pipeline, according to World Wildlife Fund. On the eve of the publication of the independent review, WWF is calling on Royal Dutch Shell and Japan's Mitsui and Mitsubishi to act immediately on any scientific findings concerning development activities in the sole feeding grounds of the critically endangered western gray whale.

WASHINGTON - "As the world celebrates the launch of the first international agreement to protect our living planet from global warming, the United States shouldn't remain paralyzed by inaction--it can do its share by passing the bi-partisan Climate Stewardship Act now in Congress.

Washington - WWF's Pennies for the Planet campaign kicks off today with a new Web site, new educational activities, and a new focus on three endangered big cats: the snow leopard, the Amur leopard, and the Sumatran tiger. Last year, kids from 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada raised more than $72,000 for conservation through Pennies.

Washington, DC -- The signing of Africa's first ever region-wide conservation treaty, and an agreement to protect over seven percent of the Congo Basin forests are historic milestones for the future of the world's second largest rainforest, WWF, the global conservation organization, said today.