The work of WWF in a single year spans the globe, encompassing on-the-ground efforts with species and habitats and addressing the causes of their loss—including deforestation and climate change. 2011 marks WWF’s 50th year delivering innovative solutions to protect wildlife and wild places.
At year’s end, we’ve singled out 15 success stories to acknowledge all that has been accomplished through the commitment of WWF and its supporters worldwide.
15 Success Stories of 2011
South Asian antipoaching network is established in January. Eight governments created the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network to tackle illegal wildlife trade and poaching in the region.
© Vivek R. Sinha / WWF-Canon
Drilling in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea is delayed. In February, a suite of efforts in the Arctic convinced Royal Dutch Shell to abandon its plans to drill exploratory wells in the Beaufort Sea in 2011—though those waters remain under threat.
© Kevin Schafer / WWF-Canon
Javan rhinos get global attention. After identifying rare footage of two Javan rhinos and their calves in February, WWF rallied international concern for a species we have been protecting for 20 years.
© Mike Griffiths / WWF-Canon
Camera traps set by WWF scientists and field staff caught images of five of the seven wild cat species found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Captured over a three month period early this year, the images are a stark reminder of what could be lost to logging, plantations and illegal encroachment.
© WWF-Indonesia/PHKA
Online advocacy for Africa’s oldest park collected 45,000 signatures to resist two mining projects in Virunga National Park and convince the Democratic Republic of Congo in March to put both projects on hold.
© Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon
In March, WWF used Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to gather a sweeping set of carbon-storage data for Nepal’s forests. The data will be used to calculate carbon credits that will directly benefit Nepalese communities and wildlife-harboring forests.
© Simon de TREY-WHITE / WWF-UK
In April, Laos committed to delay construction of a Mekong River dam pending further investigation. The decision came after a WWF commissioned study demonstrated the dam could obstruct the migration of more than 50 species of fish and compromise the livelihoods of millions. That decision was affirmed again in December, buying Mekong species even more time.
© Peter Denton / WWF-Canon
WWF tracked the pronghorn’s return migration in April after deep winter snows forced them south of the Missouri River. Results from three years of WWF research in the Northern Great Plains will help communicate the challenges pronghorns face in the region and develop solutions for wild migrations in a changing prairie landscape.
© Steve Morello / WWF-US
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council is launched in May in order to help farmed seafood producers meet conservation standards and develop smarter fish resources across the globe.
© Kevin Schafer / WWF-Canon
In May, WWF helped secure the first special U.S. stamp for wildlife. The stamp will deliver funding for international efforts to protect elephants, rhinos, great apes, tigers and marine turtles.
© Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon
The Forest Stewardship Council certified 75,000 acres of additional sustainably managed forests in Borneo. The June certification protects orangutans, pygmy elephants and people’s social and economic needs.
© WWF-Indonesia/Yuli
Mozambique approves the Lake Niassa Reserve in June. Home to more than 1,000 species of fish and a major source of local income, the declaration marks a turning point for community-approved and government-led conservation.
© Dan Forman
In August, KAZA—the largest transboundary conservation area in the world—is established. Ranging across parts of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the treaty will preserve wildlife habitats and strengthen regional economies through wildlife tourism.
© Edward Parker / WWF-Canon
In October, WWF helped to successfully establish a new black rhino population in a safer, more spacious location. The Black Rhino Range Expansion Project (BRREP) partnership moved nineteen critically endangered black rhinos to their new homes.
© WWF/Michael Raimondo
After more than 70,000 supporters worldwide signed on to help save the Amazon in December, the Brazilian government delayed decision making on proposed changes to the forest code law. WWF continues its work to end deforestation and support a sustainable future for Brazil’s forests.
© Michel Gunther / WWF-Canon
