WWF India was established on 27 November 1969 to help conserve the country’s wildlife and natural habitats. Set up as a Public Charitable Trust, the organisation started its journey in India from a small office in Mumbai.
This Annual Report is a timeline of the glorious journey of five decades. The report provides glimpses of the many milestones that WWF India has reached, as it strives for a world in which people live in harmony with nature.
For these past five decades, WWF India has been working on myriad environmental issues and delivering a positive conservation impact on the ground. As we continue on our mission, we hope that our work across landscapes and ecosystems and sustainable development will inspire more people and organisations to join us on the journey ahead for the next 50.
WWF India played an instrumental role by providing strategic and financial support to Project Tiger - launched by the Indian government.
“Little did I realise back then that this (environment conservation) would form a major interest in my life in future. The Pune division not only furthered the Nature Clubs of India movement but also WWF India’s work in this area in the early years triggered various conservation initiatives, especially for Communication, Education and Public Awareness, which is now referred to as CEPA in Aichi Target 1.”
Dr. Erach Barucha, Director Bhartiya Vidyapeeth Institute of Environmental Education and Research, Pune, and one of the pioneers of NCI (Nature Clubs of India) at Pune
The ENVIS Centre 07 at WWF India was established in October 1984 under the Environmental Information System (ENVIS) of the MoEF&CC. It served as the focal point of collecting, organising and disseminating information on environment.
WWF India entered the arena, commencing the work on combatting illegal wildlife trade in partnership with law enforcement agencies.
The Wetlands Programme at WWF India was initiated in 1992, providing continued support to the GOI to effectively manage wetlands across the country. The MoEF&CC commissioned WWF India to document the status of and threats to wetlands, mangroves, and coral reefs in India.
The Centre for Environmental Law (CEL) was established in 1993 and pioneered the first academic environmental law programme. Many prominent environmental lawyers in India today are graduates of CEL.
The Asian Rhino and Elephant Action Strategy (AREAS) Programme was set up in 2000 to protect the Asian rhino and the Asiatic elephant across their range. WWF India also played an instrumental role in the Task Force on translocation of rhinos within Assam.
WWF India recognised the importance of engaging with businesses and industry and set up its Sustainable Business Programme in 2009 to address business impacts on nature and facilitate transformational approaches to reduce these.
For more than a decade, WWF India has been advocating the need for scaling up renewables in the country and striving to establish “Renewables as the new normal.”
Photos and graphics © WWF or used with permission. Text available under a Creative Commons licence. The mentioned asks are to illustrate the impact your donation can make towards our conservation initiatives. Based on pressing priorities, WWF- India may allocate donations received to other area/s where they are most needed.