a brief history of wwf - wwf uk

7/29/2019 A Brief History of WWF - WWF UK

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/11/2012 A brief history of WWF - WWF UK

ww.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/about_us/history/

A brief history of WWF

On 29 April 1961, in the small town of Morges in Sw itzerland, a group of eminent people made a

commitment to the natural world. They called for urgent w orldwide action to stop vast numbers of

w ild animals being hunted out of existence and habitats destroyed.

The 'Morges Manifesto' became the blueprint for the first global green organisation the World

Wildlife Fund (now called simply WWF). The far-s ighted f ounders included the respected biologistJulian Huxley and renow ned ornithologist and painterPeter Scott, who also designed the original

and now w orld-f amous WWF panda logo. Others signatories came from Belgium, France, Germany,

Poland, Sudan, Sw eden, Sw itzerland and the US.

The organisation's international secretariat w as established in Sw itzerland in September, and

national WWF offices w ere gradually set up across the w orld, starting w ith the UK in November

1961.

By the end of the 1970s, the focus of WWF's work had broadened to encompass not only the

conservation of w ildlife and habitats, but also the w ider implications of man's activities on the

environment.

In 1980 WWF's World Conservation Strategy w arned that humanity had no future unless nature and

the world's natural resources w ere conserved. It also introduced the concept of sustainable

development - living w ithin the limits of the natural environment without compromising the needs of

future generations - w hich has been central to WWF's thinking ever since.

For a living planet

WWF has grow n f rom modest beginnings into a truly global conservation organisation that has been

instrumental in making the environment a matter of w orld concern. In addition to funding and

managing countless conservation projects throughout the world, WWF continues to lobby

governments and policy-makers, conduct research, influence education sys tems, and w ork w ith

business and industry to address global threats to the planet by seeking long-term solutions.

For a more detailed history of WWF, visit the WWF International website: w w w .panda.org

WWF Landmark dates

1961: WWF is founded, and is registered as a charity in Sw itzerland. WWF-UK is launched and

Peter Scott des igns a simple black and white logo so that it can be copied easily.

1972: WWF launches Operat ion Tiger, w hich a year later runs parallel w ith the Indian government's

Project Tiger - a plan to set up nine national parks as tiger reserves.

1975: WWF pioneers its f irst tropical rainforest campaign. As a r esult, dozens of f orests in Af rica,

South-east A sia and Latin America are managed as national parks or reserves.

1975: WWF helps bring into force the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of

Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. This leads, the follow ing year, to the formation of the w ildlife

monitoring body TRAFFIC - which has s ince, w ith WWF's help, played a major role in persuading

governments all over the w orld to increase species protection and strengthen w ildlife trade

controls.

1976: WWF launches its first marine programme, leading to protection for marine turtle nesting sites

and the establishment of sanctuaries f or w hales, dolphins and seals.

1979: WWF launches a fund to es tablish the Wolong nature reserv e in China for the preservation of

pandas, f ollowing a visit to China by Sir Peter Scott.

1980: WWF, the World Conservation Union and UNEP (the United Nations Environmental Programme)

launch The World Conservation Strategy, w hich promotes sustainable development - the concept of

living within the limits of the natural environment - for the first time.

1991: WWF, the World Conservation Union and UNEP launch Caring for the Earth - a strategy for

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Public meeting at The Royal Society of Arts in London, on the 26th of

September 1961 to announce the establishment of the Fund: "World Wildlife

Fund". Left to right: Professor J.G. Baer (IUCN President), Sir Peter Scott

(Vice-President of IUCN). the Marquess of Willingdon, Lord Hurcomb, and Sir

Julian Huxley (the first Director-General of UNESCO) . The World Wildife

Charter w as read and adopted on this occasion.

HRH Prince Philip and Sir Peter Scott at WWF International Headquarters in

1967, Les Uttins, Morges, Sw itzerland

sustainable living in 60 countries. It lists 132 actions people at all social and political levels can take

to saf eguard or improve their environment.

1991: WWF launches the 1995 Group of companies dedicated to using timber products that come

only from credibly certified, w ell-managed forests. (In 1995 the name is changed to the WWF 95+

Group.) By the end of 2003 the Group had grow n to 60 organisations.

1992: A WWF team led by Dr John McKinnon discovers a new spec ies of large mammal - the Sao la

or Vu Quang ox - in Vietnam.

1998: WWF and the World Bank form an alliance to set up a w orldw ide network of protected areas,

including 200 million hectares of w ell-managed forests by 2005.

1999: WWF plays a key role in ensuring that sustainable development is an important part of the

new National Curriculum in England.

2001: WWF celebrates the birth of the 1,000th golden lion tamarin in the wild. From a low of 200

animals recorded in Brazil in the early 1970s, the species has recovered to reach this historic

milestone - its highest point in 30 years.

2001: WWF and the Romanian government instigate a summit at which 14 countr ies w ith interests in

the River Danube and Carpathian Mountains agree on an environmental strategy w hich goes beyond

political borders. The plan embraces environmental conservation, restoration and sustainable

development throughout the Danube-Carpathian region.

2002: WWF and HSBC embark on a f ive-year partnership to protect f reshw ater habitats in the UK,

Brazil, China and along the US/Mexico border. HSBC's 12.7 million investment in the partnership is

the largest corporate donation received by WWF-UK.

2003: WWF's Wildlife Trade campaign convinces the UK government to amend the Criminal Justice

Bill, thereby making illegal trade in endangered animals and their body parts an arrestable offence in

the UK.

2003: The WWF 95+ Group is re- launched as the WWF-UK Forest & Trade Netw ork.

2004: WWF and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) agree to develop a model for

managing land ow ned by religious organisations throughout the w orld.

2006: WWF launches its Heart of Borneo programme as the three Bornean governments - Brunei

Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia - declare their commitment to preserve one of the most

important centres of biological divers ity in the w orld, including some 220,000sq km of equatorial

forests and numerous w ildlife species.

2007: WWFs One Million Sustainable Homes campaign ends in success w hen the UK government

announces it w ill introduce a national code which measures nine categories of sustainable design,

including energy, w ater and w aste. From 1 May 2008, every new -built home must be rated

according to this code.

2008: The UK government introduces the firs t legislation in the world aimed at setting binding targets

to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This follows a y ear of lobbying and campaigning by WWF and

our partners in Stop Climate Chaos a coalition of some 60 environmental, development and faith-

based organisations.

2009: WWF launches its f irst global Earth Hour an annual event calling on w orld leaders to take

urgent action on climate change. For one hour on 28 March, iconic landmarks across the w orld,

including the Sydney Opera House, the Acropolis, the Pyramids, Big Ben and the Empire State

Building, are plunged into darkness.

2011: WWF celebrates its 50th anniversary.


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