WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. An independent foundation registered under Swiss law, WWF is a global organization acting locally through a network of over 90 offices in over 40 countries around the world which vary in their degree of autonomy. The central secretariat for the network (called WWF International) is located in Gland, Switzerland. (WWF offices | organizational structure)
WWF originally stood for "World Wildlife Fund". However, in 1986, WWF had come to realize that its name no longer reflected the scope of its activities, and changed its name to "World Wide Fund For Nature". The United States and Canada, however, retained the old name.
The resulting confusion caused by the name change in 1986, together with its translation into more than 15 languages, led the WWF Network in 2001 to agree on using the original acronym as its one, global name - the acronym that it had always been known by since its inception way back in 1961: "WWF".
WWF's mission?
WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by:
- conserving the world’s biological diversity
- ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable
- promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption
WWF maintains a project Office which coordinates technical, monetary and material support to Zambia in the area of biodiversity.
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