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WWF Created
In 1961 The first call for broad support was the Morges Manifesto, (In Morges, Switzerland) signed in 1961 by 16 of the world’s leading conservationists. -
Period: to
WWF was created to present day
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First year as an organization
In its first year, the Board approves five projects totaling $33,500. Early projects include work with the bald eagle, the Hawaiian sea bird, the giant grebe of Guatemala, the Tule goose in Canada and the red wolf in the southern United States. -
Charles Darwin Research Foundation
A WWF grant helps establish the Charles Darwin Foundation Research Station in the Galapagos Islands. -
Chitwan Sanctuary Tiger Population Study
WWF grants $38,000 to the Smithsonian Institution to study the tiger population of the Chitwan Sanctuary in Nepal, allowing scientists to successfully use radio tracking devices for the first time in 1973. -
CITES International Agreement
To date, the CITES international agreement has been signed by over 170 nations that are committed to working together to ensure wild plant and animal species are not threatened with extinction by uncontrolled trade and exploitation. -
Broadening conservation efforts
WWF starts to focus not only on species-related conservation projects, but also on protecting habitat by establishing national parks and nature reserves. -
TRAFFIC is created
WWF and IUCN in 1976 create TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network that works to ensure trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. -
New world conservation strategy
With critical support from WWF and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the IUCN in 1980 publishes the ground-breaking World Conservation Strategy, stating that humanity exists as part of nature and has no future unless nature and natural resources are conserved. -
Debt for Nature
In a New York Times editorial in 1984, WWF vice president Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy sets forth the concept of using Third World debt reduction to protect the environment. Through these "debt for nature" swaps, WWF will convert portions of national debts into Funds for Conservation. -
FSC Created
WWF in 1993 helps create the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to find solutions which promote responsible stewardship of the world's forests. FSC grows to a global network of more than 40 offices in the United States and around the world. -
$19 Million Debt-for-Nature swap
WWF in 1993 completes a $19 million debt-for-nature swap in the Philippines, the largest such swap ever undertaken by a nongovernmental organization. -
Living Planet Campaign
WWF in 1997 launches the Living Planet Campaign, a new vision for preserving Earth's biodiversity. The centerpiece of the campaign is the Global 200, a framework of more than 200 terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecoregions. -
Conservation in the Amazon
The President of Brazil's 1998 pledge to create 70 million acres of new protected area in the Amazon expands in 2000, with a new commitment to strengthen the management of an additional 30 million acres of existing protected areas. -
Conservation efforts for the African Rhino paying off
A new census in 2004 shows WWF efforts to protect African rhinos are paying off: there are 3,600 black rhinos, a substantial increase from the 2,400 left in the 1990s—and 11,000 white rhinos, up from fewer than 100 a century ago. -
Oil Palm Proposal
WWF in 2006 defeats a proposal for the world's largest oil palm plantation, which threatens to destroy the last remaining intact forests of Borneo. Governments of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei commit to the Heart of Borneo declaration to conserve and sustainably manage the forests. -
WWF Elephant Petition
In September, over a million people sign a WWF petition to stop the slaughter of elephants. -
Apps for Earth
Apps for Earth, WWF’s collaboration with Apple in the 10 days around Earth Day, generates over $8 million in revenue and increased awareness. -
Earth Hour
In 2008, Earth Hour goes global, becoming the world’s largest environmental activism event.
