World Wide Fund for Nature or commonly abbreviated as WWF is an international non-governmental organization that deals with issues of conservation, research, and environmental restoration.
This organization previously was named World Wildlife Fund and this name is still the official name in Canada and the United States. WWF is the largest independent conservation organization in the world with their supporters are over 5 million people around the world. The organization works in more than 100 countries, supporting about 1,300 conservation and environmental projects.
The history how the WWF organization started began in 1961 when the number of organizations in the world is still very small, such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Resources (IUCN) and The Conservation Foundation, trying to make conservation efforts, but the available funds are very small.
The first support from abroad was from Morges Manifesto, signed in 1961 by 16 conservationist world chiefs, including African biologist and wildlife enthusiast Sir Julian Huxley, Vice President Sir Peter Scott and General Director of British Nature Conservancy E. M. Nicholson.
Morges Manifesto states that while the expertise to protect the world exists, but financial support to achieve this protection is not done, therefore they made WWF as an international fundraising.
In 2010, the funds used for WWF organizations came from individuals and inheritances of 57%, from international sources (such as World Bank, DFID, USAID) of 17%, and 11% from various companies. This organization is created to block and address environmental destruction issues.
The activities of the WWF organization focus on six major areas: forest, sea, fresh water, wildlife, food, and climate. By connecting these six areas in an integrated approach, people are expected to better utilize existing assets and direct all human resources to protect vulnerable sites, species and communities worldwide.
Generally speaking, there are three well-known programs conducted by WWF, the first is debt-for-nature swap conducted by WWF in cooperation with the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands and other creditor countries to develop the program, including the first in Ecuador in 1987.
Since 2001, WWF has assisted several debt-for-nature swap agreements in the Tropical Forest Conservation Act (and earlier in Enterprise for the Americas Initiative). Both mechanisms are designed to alleviate the debt burden of developing countries in the United States, as well as generate funds in local currency to support the conservation of tropical forests. Capital derived from debt-for-nature swaps can be used through credits or foundations that are specifically established for the conservation of local biodiversity.
The second famous WWF program is earth hour, a global event held every year on the last Saturday of March. This activity is a blackout light that is not needed at home and office for an hour. This is done to increase public awareness of the need for serious action against climate change.
Earth hour activity was first initiated by WWF and Leo Burnett, an advertising agency in Australia, and conducted in 2007. Initially, this idea was created to draw Australian citizens about climate change. In that first year, the event was welcomed by the 2.2 million Sydney residents who participated by turning out all unnecessary lights. After Sydney, the good response also came from several cities around the world in earth hour 2008.
The next one is Marine Stewardship Council and this institute provides certification programs that assess the feasibility standards of a fishery business. Certified fisheries companies can market their products by installing MSC labels.
The mission of this institution is to utilize the certification program to contribute to safeguarding the marine health of the world by introducing a sustainable fishing system, influencing people’s choices when going to buy marine products, and working with various parties to further conserve the maritime market.
Through this organization, World Wide Fund for Nature invites the world community to participate in maintaining and supporting conservation programs undertaken. We need to love our mother of the earth because we don’t inherit that but we borrow it from our beloved children.
