05/11/2012

A brief history of WWF - WWF UK

Home What we do About us A brief history of WWF

A brief history of WWF

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WWF Northern Ireland WWF Scotland On 29 April 1961, in the small tow n of Morges in Sw itzerland, a group of eminent people made a commitment to the natural w orld. They called for urgent w orldw ide 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-sighted founders included the respected biologist Julian Huxley and renow ned ornithologist and painter Peter Scott, w ho also designed the original and now w orld-famous 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 w ork 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 w orld's natural resources w ere conserved. It also introduced the concept of sustainable development - living w ithin the limits of the natural environment w ithout 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 from 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 w orld, WWF continues to lobby governments and policy-makers, conduct research, influence education systems, 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 w ebsite: w w w .panda.org WWF Cymru

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WWF Landm ark dates 1961: WWF is founded, and is registered as a charity in Sw itzerland. WWF-UK is launched and Peter Scott designs a simple black and w hite logo so that it can be copied easily. 1972: WWF launches Operation 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 first tropical rainforest campaign. As a result, dozens of forests in Africa, South-east Asia 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 - w hich has since, 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 for w hales, dolphins and seals. 1979: WWF launches a fund to establish the Wolong nature reserve in China for the preservation of pandas, follow ing 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 w ithin 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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A brief history of WWF - WWF UK

sustainable living in 60 countries. It lists 132 actions people at all social and political levels can take to safeguard 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 species 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 netw ork 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 w ild. 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 w hich 14 countries 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 five-year partnership to protect freshw 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 diversity 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 w hich 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 first legislation in the w orld aimed at setting binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This follow s a year of lobbying and campaigning by WWF and our partners in Stop Climate Chaos a coalition of some 60 environmental, development and faithbased organisations. 2009: WWF launches its first 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.

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

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A brief history of WWF - WWF UK

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