A PROFILE

Polar Bear
Polar Bear
Spitzgergen, Norway

WWF Norway (World Wide Fund For Nature - Norway) - is part of the WWF network, the worlds largest and most experienced non-governmental conservation organisation. WWF has a network of 26 national organisations around the world and 4.7 million supporters.

WWF Norway was set up in December, 1970 with HRH Crown Prince Harald as president.


Until 1986 the Norwegian organisation was recognised as Verdens Villmarksfond, but today it is known as WWF Verdens Naturfond. Our first project was the protection of Las Marismas in Southern Spain. The wetland was of great importance as a wintering quarter for a significant share of the greylag goose population of Norway. WWF Norway contributed also to the protection of the overwintering site of the barnacle goose in Northern Scotland . Later on, the Norwegian branch concentrated on field projects for raptors and carnivores. One of the biggest projects ever was a breeding and releasing programme on the endangered eagle owl - more than 600 juveniles birds were released from the end of 70`s to the beginning of 90`s. Other well-known programmes were concerned with the white-tailed sea eagle, golden eagle, wolf, and brown bear.

As one of the few green corners remaining in Europe, Norway is of significant importance for biological diversity. It has 50 percent of the population of white-tailed sea eagle in Western Europe, the only wild mountain reindeer population in Europe, large bird-cliffs along the coast, and populations of large carnivores like lynx, bear, wolf, and wolverine. The population of wolf and bear is not sustainable, but a population increase in Sweden will hopefully also have an impact in Norway within a few years . Norway also has the sovereignty over the arctic archipelago - Svalbard - with a number of interesting animals like polar bears, walruses, and seals as well as many kinds of Arctic birds and plants.

Norway is sparsely populated. Despite of only 4.3 million inhabitants on 328,000 sq. kilometres, the country`s biological diversity faces several threats. Because of conflicts with sheep herders, it is not easy to get acceptance to build up sustainable carnivore populations. Overfishing in the past has made life difficult for several seabirds - especially the puffin and the guillemot, whose populations have severely declined.

In the past WWF Norway mainly focused on species, but today we are concentrating more and more on habitats, ecosystems, and sustainable development. We have strong involvement in forest conservation, carnivore conservation, and are increasingly engaged in marine issues.

Puffin
Puffin

Since beginning of the 90`s WWF Norway has increasingly been involved in integrated conservation and development projects in the third world. In all those projects WWF cooperates with local communities - to try to find sustainable solutions together. Most projects are co-funded by NORAD (Norwegian Aid Development Agency), but a major fundraising event staged by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation in October 1996 "Environment for Life" , gave NOK 10 million in support to our international conservation program. The telethon was staged by four Norwegian conservation and development organisations in addition to WWF Norway: The Norwegian Rain Forest Foundation, the Development Fund, the Future in Our Hands, and The Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature.

In addition to our third world projects, we also collaborate closely to WWF Internationals Arctic Programme, which is hosted by WWF Norway in Oslo.

WWF Norway's conservation programme focuses on these areas:

  • Marine ecosystems (including the Arctic)
  • Forests
  • Large carnivores
  • Environmental education
  • International conservation programme
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