Since it was founded in September 1961, WWF has played a key role in the battle for the survival of Africa's rhinos.

Immediately following its establishment, WWF launched its first appeal for funds to save endangered wildlife in a seven page "shock issue" supplement to the 9 October edition of Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper. On the front cover, together with other threatened species, was the photo of a black rhino. Since 1962 WWF has spent in excess of 30 million Swiss francs (CHF) on activities to conserve Africa's rhinos. Another CHF7 million is forecast to be spent before the end of the century.

Helped by the media's focus on Africa's charismatic megafauna, many people have shown their concern for the rhino's survival and have contributed to efforts to achieve this. Supported by the generosity of its donors, WWF has been able to invest large sums of money in rhino conservation in 16 different countries in Africa. At times, this has been a battle against tremendous odds, but with African rhino numbers stabilizing, and in several countries actually increasing, there is now room for optimism.

Through its work and that of other organizations, WWF has learned much about the factors that influence the survival of wild species; this knowledge is constantly being used in its efforts to conserve the planet's biodiversity and maintain ecological processes. This document looks back on nearly four decades of work to conserve African rhinos. It tells how WWF has intervened to support national conservation actions and identifies lessons that will further improve our ability to conserve two of Africa's most powerful flagship species - its black and white rhinos.