60th Anniversary - 9

F OR E WOR D
WHILE THE STABILITY OF THE NATURAL WORLD THAT
SUPPORTS US AND ALL LIFE ON EARTH HAS NEVER BEEN MORE
SERIOUSLY UNDER THREAT, THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR
POSITIVE CHANGE HAVE NEVER BEEN GREATER
surface was under protection, and almost all of that
was on land. Today, that has risen to over 15% of land
and 8% of the ocean, with plans to reach 30% by 2030
through action by government, Indigenous peoples
and local communities, and the private sector. There
are also increasing signs of recovery among threatened
species like tigers, mountain gorillas, various whales,
giant pandas, bison and all large European predators;
an accelerating shift to clean energy; and increasing
consumer and producer awareness and action.
But there is no room for complacency. As WWF's
Living Planet Report reminds us, populations of
wildlife globally are continuing to decline, with a
two-thirds drop in the last 50 years. We must
accelerate our transition to a sustainable future.
In the next 10 years, we will collectively need to
achieve more for the natural world than we
have in the last 60.
THE FUTURE IN OUR HANDS
As we reach our 60th anniversary, our praise
goes to the vision and courage of our founders; to
the passion and efforts of the thousands of people
who worked and volunteered for WWF over the years
and across the world; to the thousands of partners
in government, business and civil society WWF
has been privileged to work with; and to the millions
of people that over the years have both supported
us and, more importantly, supported our vision of a
future where people and nature live in harmony and
thrive. Together, we have made a difference. And
only together can we halt and reverse nature loss once
and for all, building a carbon-neutral and naturepositive
society, and securing a prosperous, healthy,
happy and equitable future for our children and
generations to come.
While the stability of the natural world that
supports us and all life on Earth has never been
more seriously under threat, the opportunities
for positive change have never been greater. This
is because we are finally realizing that, in fact, we
depend on nature more than nature depends on
us. Conserving nature is not just a moral issue
anymore. It's an economic, development, social
equity, and survival issue.
There has never been a more crucial time to act
for nature. Never more than now, our future lies in
our hands. For the future of our children, their
children and Earth's amazing diversity of life, we
can't and we won't fail this existential opportunity.
9
60th Anniversary

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 60th Anniversary
