© Michel Gunther / WWF
Our Work
Conservation and human development are two sides of the same coin.
Conservation is key to ensuring that all communities can develop sustainably and equitably. By protecting biodiversity, maintaining ecosystem services, ensuring sustainable use and management of natural resources and providing new livelihood opportunities, conservation activities can contribute towards poverty reduction and sustainable development.

WWF works to support sustainable livelihoods and reduce poverty, and develop more equitable models of natural resource consumption and governance. An important dimension of our work are efforts to reduce human ecological footprint by promoting sustainable production and consumption patterns.





Our global efforts on forests, water, oceans, wildlife, climate change & energy, and food work across a diversity of issues to build a sustainable balance between people and nature.  


WWF National, Programme and Country offices across the network run a number of projects and programmes aimed at linking conservation and better natural resource management with improving livelihoods and alleviating poverty.  Learn more about the work of our offices here.


We collaborate with different partners to achieve the best possible outcomes from our work. We work with indigenous and traditional peoples to sustainably manage their environment. We also work closely with the public sector to integrate conservation into development investment. Our partners include national governments and regional bodies, as well as bilateral, regional and multilateral International Financial Institutions. We also engage in partnerships with businesses and the private sector, to shift major commodity markets to responsible and sustainable production. 


Some of our key partners are other NGOs and civil society organizations. From local grassroots groups to large global organizations, we work with environmental, development and human rights groups to deliver effective conservation while safeguarding people's livelihoods.

More WWF projects:

Why do we do this?

Inuit narwhal hunter throwing his harpoon from his kayak, Qaanaaq, Greenland. 
© Staffan Widstrand/ WWF

National and international laws, policies, and frameworks relating to land use and resource management across a range of issues, including water, forests, fisheries, development, agriculture, and energy  have a great deal of influence over how natural habitats and resources are managed and used – and so are highly relevant to WWF's goals.

We are working to ensure that public laws and policies – at the local, national, regional, and global level – promote sustainable development and provide for the sustainable management, equitable use, and adequate protection of biodiversity and natural resources.

Sustainable Development Goals

WWF supports a well-designed and inclusive Post-2015 process and the set of universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that address the issue of sustainable development in an integrated way, recognizing the value of the environment and ecosystem services in delivering lasting progress for inclusive social development. Throughout the development of the SDGs, WWF worked to ensure this plan puts the planet on the path toward truly sustainable development and that it includes the environmental elements that give it the best chance for success. WWF will work to ensure that leaders live up to their commitments while also partnering with governments, business and communities to see the job through.
Learn more.


© James Frankham/WWF



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© MY World 2015