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World Wildlife Fund
This fund helps everything from nature, endangered species, to deforestation. It has been around since 1961 and continues to grow and help save lives. -
1961
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. -
1962
A WWF grant helps establish the Charles Darwin Foundation Research Station in the Galapagos Islands. -
1970
WWF hires its first scientist, Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy, as a project administrator, in 1973. -
1975
WWF in 1975 helps create Corcovado National Park, located on Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula. Corcovado contains 13 major habitat types and is the best example of a Central American tropical forest now under protection. -
1983
WWF establishes the Primate Action Fund in 1983 to support short-term needs that lay the groundwork for larger investigations—particularly important for conservation work in tropical countries where primates originate. -
1984
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 -
1986
The Mexican government in 1986 protects as an ecological reserve the area where 100 million Monarch butterflies converge each winter, representing a tremendous victory for Monarca, a WWF supported organization created by local citizens just six years ago. -
25th Anniversary
WWF celebrates its 25th anniversary in 1986 with a convocation of leaders from different faith traditions in Assisi, Italy -
1988
WWF in 1988 arranges a $3 million debt-for-nature swap in Costa Rica, as well as additional swaps in the Philippines for $2 million and Ecuador for $1 million. -
1993
WWF in 1993 completes a $19 million debt-for-nature swap in the Philippines, the largest such swap ever undertaken by a nongovernmental organization. -
2004
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. -
2005
WWF's Board of Directors in 2005 adopts a 10-year goal: to measurably conserve 15 to 20 of the world's most important ecoregions, and in so doing, transform markets, policies, and institutions in order to reduce threats to these places and the diversity of life on Earth. -
Walmart 2006
WWF in 2006 engages with Wal-Mart on sustainability efforts focused on its supply chain, including MSC certification of all fisheries, participation in the Global Forest & Trade Network, Mining Certification Guidelines, Better Cotton Initiative and other agriculture-related issues.
