WWF Logo Introduction
















WWF's Purpose, as laid down in its Statutes first established in 1961 and slightly modified in 1993, is "to conserve the natural environment and ecological processes worldwide". This is taken to include fauna and flora, the landscape, water, soils, air and other natural resources, with particular emphasis on the maintenance of essential ecological processes and life support systems, and on the preservation of genetic, species and ecosystem diversity, and on ensuring that the utilization of wild plant and animal species and natural ecosystems is sustainable.

To further tighten and focus its institutional forces, WWF adopted a Mission Statement and Strategy in 1989. The Mission clearly recognizes that WWF's aims cannot be achieved without taking into account the underlying causes of environmental degradation.

WWF's Mission statement

"WWF's mission is to achieve the conservation of nature and ecological processes by:

  • preserving genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity
  • ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable both now and in the longer term, for the benefit of all life on Earth
  • promoting actions to reduce pollution and the wasteful exploitation and consumption of resources and energy.

WWF's ultimate goal is to stop, and eventually reverse, the accelerating degradation of our planet's natural environment, and to help build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature."

The Mission first restates the purpose of the organization - to conserve nature - and then addresses three main approaches to achieve this: (i) the preservation of biodiversity (genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity) - which has also been called the "bottom line" of WWF's Mission; (ii) the sustainable use of natural resources as a necessary precondition to biodiversity preservation; and (iii) the reduction of consumption and pollution as a means to minimize the indirect and often global impact on the natural resource base. Finally the Mission states the ultimate aim of the organization: harmony between man and nature.

The Mission statement, approved by the WWF International Board in 1989 and adopted by all National Organizations, has played a crucial role in modernizing WWF's approach to conservation, particularly the integration of WWF's field-based activities with its expanding policy work at both national and international levels.

With the Mission in place, positioning WWF as a conservation organization focusing on biodiversity conservation, a series of goals needs to be prioritized, and conservation tools devised, to achieve the Mission. These essential elements are described in the following sections.

Guiding principles

To guide WWF in its task of achieving the Mission goals, the following principles (last revised in 1997) have been adopted. WWF will:

  • be global, independent, multicultural and non-party political
  • use the best available scientific information to address issues and critically evaluate all its endeavours
  • seek dialogue and avoid unnecessary confrontation
  • build concrete conservation solutions through a combination of field-based projects, policy initiatives, capacity building and education work
  • involve local communities and indigenous peoples in the planning and execution of its field programmes, respecting their cultural as well as economic needs
  • strive to build partnerships with other organizations, governments, business and local communities to enhance WWF's effectiveness
  • run WWF's operations in a cost-effective manner and apply donors' funds according to the highest standards of accountability.