| Polar bears & Arctic species |
Conservation & spatial planning |
Climate Change |
|---|---|---|
 Geoff York |
Miriam Geitz |
 Martin Sommerkorn |
| Oil and gas | Immediate Threats | Overview |
Mikhail Babenko |
 Clive Tesar |
 Alexander Shestakov |
WWF Arctic contacts
Based in Ottawa, Canada, the Global Arctic Programme coordinates WWF's Arctic work in 7 offices around the world.
WWF Global Arctic Programme
30 Metcalfe Street
Suite 400
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5L4
Phone: +1 613 232 2535
Contact the Global Arctic Programme coordinating team
Contact WWF offices in Arctic countries
30 Metcalfe Street
Suite 400
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5L4
Phone: +1 613 232 2535
Contact the Global Arctic Programme coordinating team
Contact WWF offices in Arctic countries
Our experts
Media Inquiries
Contact us when you want expert but media-friendly comment on circumpolar aspects of the arctic environment, and arctic policy.
General media inquiries
Clive Tesar, Head of Communications & External Relations
Email: ctesar@wwfcanada.org
Mobile: +1 613 314 9210
Phone: +1 613 232 2535
Specific issues
Contact one of our experts.
Local issues
Contact your national branch of WWF.
General media inquiries
Clive Tesar, Head of Communications & External Relations
Email: ctesar@wwfcanada.org
Mobile: +1 613 314 9210
Phone: +1 613 232 2535
Specific issues
Contact one of our experts.
Local issues
Contact your national branch of WWF.
Get updates
Stay informed with WWF's monthly Arctic newsletter.
Canada
WWF’s earliest recorded Arctic work was in Canada in 1972. Since that time, WWF has maintained a regular presence in the north. Because many of the projects are conducted in the traditional areas of Indigenous peoples, special efforts are made to identify areas of common ground and to work together. An example of such a project is the establishment of a Bowhead whale sanctuary off Baffin Island, a proposal originated by a local Inuit community.Priorities:
- The Last Ice Area project
- Work on national offshore oil drilling regulations
- Resilience planning for an Arctic experiencing radical climate change
- Marine spatial planning in the Beaufort Sea
Contact
Peter Ewins
Director, Species Conservation
WWF-Canada
Toronto, Canada
T: +1 416 484 7711
WWF-Canada website
Director, Species Conservation
WWF-Canada
Toronto, Canada
T: +1 416 484 7711
WWF-Canada website
Denmark/Greenland
The Kingdom of Denmark covers Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Recently Greenland has regained increased responsibility for its own affairs, including conservation of nature and environment and resources management. In 2009 the people of Greenland was recognized as a people pursuant to international law with the right to self-determination.Prioities
- Advising Greenlandic stakeholders on sustainable fisheries.
- Consulting with Greenlanders on research and management of the area of summer sea ice that will persist the longest in the face of continuing climate change.
- Addressing the resilience of ecosystems in Greenland in light of climate change
- A future joint project with ICC Greenland on public consultation processes in relation to new industries
Together with the Greenland Government, WWF is currently exploring new fields for shared projects in Greenland.
Contact
Finland
It was on the initiative of Finland that the eight arctic countries launched the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy in 1991 in Rovaniemi. This later became the Arctic Council.Priorities
- projects designed to save boreal forests and endangered species such as the Lesser White-fronted goose.
Contact
Jari Luukkonen
Conservation Director
WWF-Finland,
Helsinki (FI)
T: +358 9 77401045
WWF-Finland website
Conservation Director
WWF-Finland,
Helsinki (FI)
T: +358 9 77401045
WWF-Finland website
Norway
There is no place closer to the North Pole where so many visitors have their first experience with exciting, unspoiled, arctic nature than Svalbard, Norway. This unique high Arctic archipelago is an area that will be considerably challenged by a changing climate.Priorities:
- Opposing the expansion of coal-mining on Svalbard
- Arctic shipping
- fisheries management
- governance
- offshore oil and gas development in the Norwegian Arctic
Contact
Russia
WWF has taken an active part in setting up more than 30 protected areas in the Russian Arctic. The total reserve area is over 35 million hectares, which equals the area of Finland.Priorities
- Conservation of polar bear and Atlantic walrus
- Adoption of an ecosystem-based approach in marine resources exploitation
- Environmental legislation improvement and enforcement
- Ensuring elimination of threats from hydrocarbon extraction development; implementation of a plan to conserve biological and landscape biodiversity in the Arctic (Econet)
- Improving the sustainability of fisheries, including certification for Russia’s fishing industry in accordance to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standards
Contact
Victoria Elias
Conservation Programme Director
WWF-Russia
T: +7 495 727 0939
F: +7 495 727 0938
WWF-Russia website
Meet the WWF-Russia Arctic team
Conservation Programme Director
WWF-Russia
T: +7 495 727 0939
F: +7 495 727 0938
WWF-Russia website
Meet the WWF-Russia Arctic team
Sweden
Sweden has the largest wild areas, and the most abundant populations of large carnivores such as bears, lynx and wolverine, remaining in northern Scandinavia.Priorities:
- Focused programs preserving western Europe's last wild rivers
- A joint project with the Saami people on to explore ways of reducing future cumulative impacts of different pressures (eg. mining, wind power, forestry, tourism and large carnivores) on reindeer herding in Sweden
Contact
USA / Alaska
The WWF-US Arctic Program is headquartered in Alaska.Priorities
- In the Bristol Bay, known as “America’s fish basket,” WWF works to minimize the threats to the region’s fisheries.
- In the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, home to critical polar bear and walrus habitat, WWF is focused now on preventing irresponsible drilling for oil and gas.
- In Russia, the Kamchatka Peninsula’s river systems host the greatest diversity and concentration of salmon on Earth. Here, WWF is taking steps to reduce Illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing.
Contact
Margaret Williams
Managing Director
Bering Sea and Kamchatka Programme
WWF-United States,
Anchorage, Alaska
WWF-US website
Meet the WWF-US Arctic team
Managing Director
Bering Sea and Kamchatka Programme
WWF-United States,
Anchorage, Alaska
WWF-US website
Meet the WWF-US Arctic team
