Founded 60 years ago to drive funding and support for conservation, WWF remains at the forefront of the fight against the climate and nature crisis today. While conservation efforts over this time have led to victories for nature, the mission has grown exponentially. Every year the challenges become tougher and there is still much work to be done. From poverty to wildlife extinction, so many of the world’s biggest challenges are made more difficult by climate change. Things will only get worse if we do nothing but we can still do something about it.
Through Art For Your World we want to bring together the creativity and generosity of the art world and help support WWF in the frontline fight against the climate crisis.
This project is devised, curated and produced for WWF by Artwise.
Key projects supported by Art for Your World
Protecting habitats and species
Protecting habitats and species
Nature is in freefall, and according to WWF's flagship Living Planet Report we've seen an average drop in global wildlife population sizes of 73% since 1970. WWF is working to halt the loss of habitats and re-build natural life support systems for people and species in some of the world's most biodiverse places. All kinds of wildlife will struggle to survive if their natural environment is damaged or destroyed.
Conservation efforts over the last 60 years by local communities, governments and organisations like WWF have led to victories for nature - including wild tiger numbers increasing again after 95% of the world's population was lost, as well as Antarctic blue whales and bowhead whales making a regional comeback in polar waters. However, there is still much work to be done.
Replanting seagrass meadows in UK waters
Replanting seagrass meadows in UK waters
Seagrass meadows living in shallow waters along our coastline are vital for biodiversity and marine life - harbouring up to 30 times more animals than bare sediment. However, seagrass meadows are also one of the most rapidly declining ecosystems on Earth, losing 7% of their known area per year, with major biodiversity impacts.
The overall vision for this work is to re-establish and replant seagrass meadows and the range of ecosystem services they provide us. WWF, working with partners, recently completed the planting of the UK's first large seagrass restoration project at Dale in Pembrokeshire and are now looking to scale up this work. We will be undertaking trials to mechanise the restoration process alongside restoring a further 16 hectares of seagrass meadows in the UK by 2026. By this time, we will have provided a seagrass restoration model for government to lead further restoration efforts.
Supporting sustainable lifestyles and driving change
Supporting sustainable lifestyles and driving change
The way we live, and the food we eat, is driving the destruction of global habitats, and pushing climate change well into the danger zone. To address this, we must find sustainable ways to feed a growing population, restore nature, and protect the climate. WWF educates the public, businesses, and policymakers through campaigns, advocacy, and school programs, equipping them with tools to understand and combat environmental threats.
For over 30 years, WWF has also worked with over 10,000 UK schools, providing classroom resources and activities to inspire students.
We also provide tools such as the carbon footprint calculator and My Footprint app to help individuals assess and reduce their impact through lifestyle changes.
Tackling deforestation and protecting livelihoods in the Amazon Rainforest
Tackling deforestation and protecting livelihoods in the Amazon Rainforest
The fate of the Amazon and its peoples has never been more urgent. Scientists estimate that if we lose another 5% of the Amazon we could tip it over the edge, preventing its ability to recycle water and turning large parts of it from a resilient, moist rainforest into a dry, degraded savannah, which will lock in dangerous climate change worldwide as carbon is released. This would ruin the lives of communities that rely on the Amazon for their livelihoods, destroy the home of more than 10% of the world's species, and impact rainfall across South America.
WWF is working in partnership with communities in the Brazilian Amazon, providing tools and training for local and indigenous peoples to protect their lands, access legal representation, and a forum to communicate between local and global communities.
Restoring forests through a Trillion Trees
Restoring forests through a Trillion Trees
As signs of Earth’s climate crisis become unavoidable, the tree is one of nature’s most effective tools in the fight to reduce carbon emissions. Our forests are living ecosystems that store carbon, while also helping to maintain rainfall, provide habitats for more than half of all species found on land and support the livelihoods of over a billion people. Our climate is changing fast. But it is not too late to fix it. Together, we need to protect our existing trees and bring back some of our forests, so we create a world where forests are expanding rather than shrinking.
Trillion Trees is a joint venture between three of the world’s largest conservation charities: BirdLife International, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and WWF. The vision is that by 2050, one trillion trees will have been re-grown, saved from loss and be better protected around the world. One trillion trees will store an estimated 36-50 gigatons of carbon– four times the amount released annually through human activity. Supporting forest landscapes in more than 60 countries, Trillion Trees has the expertise and long-standing relationships with governments, civil society, businesses and local communities to end deforestation and support tree cover where it is needed most. Since launch in 2016, the venture has supported the protection of 18.3 billion trees and the restoration of 1.8 billion.