WWF Annual Review 20 - 47

TOGETHER POSSIBLE

Through our conservation work, we
support the efforts of Indigenous peoples
and local communities to challenge
the frequent lack of recognition of their
rights, to protect and restore their
ancestral lands and waters, and to
sustainably improve their well-being.
Recognition of their vital role is a key
pillar of our call for a New Deal for Nature
and People. There are many challenges to
overcome and we are committed to doing
more, better. In the past year, our work
alongside communities, peoples and
other partners included:

BOLIVIA
Our forest fire response programme
helped support 147 Indigenous
communities affected by widespread
forest fires, by distributing food, water and
medicines as well as backing the efforts of
fire fighters. Read about our global wildfire
response on page 18.

We supported communities in and
around Chizarira and Hwange national
parks to introduce better farming methods
that increase crop yields and safeguard
local biodiversity - part of broader efforts
to sustainably manage the KavangoZambezi ecosystem across five southern
African countries.

EMBEDDING HUMAN RIGHTS
IN CONSERVATION
In 2019, WWF commissioned an
independent panel of experts to review
how we were responding to reports of
human rights abuses by some government
rangers in challenging and remote
landscapes in Central Africa, India and
Nepal. Embedding Human Rights in
Nature Conservation - from Intent to
Action is the resulting report. We wanted
a tough and unbiased evaluation of our
efforts in order to continue to learn and

MADAGASCAR

improve our programmes.

Around the richly biodiverse Nosy Hara

Importantly, the panel found no evidence

National Park, we installed a drinking

that WWF staff directed, participated in,

water system in local villages to build

or encouraged any abuses. When concerns

resilience against rising sea levels that

were raised, our staff took actions to

increase salinity of water resources - an

respond. The panel was also unsparing in

essential prerequisite for successful

its conclusion that we need to do more.

community conservation.

We embrace the panel's recommendations,

MYANMAR

and we are addressing all of them, in
addition to actions we've already taken

We're assisting efforts to achieve

to better meet our commitments to

recognition of customary rights for

communities. We will report on progress

the ancestral territories and areas of

made against these actions.

Indigenous peoples and communities -
helping to document traditional practices,
governance structures and boundary maps.

NAMIBIA
A WWF-backed conservation fund was
launched to support communities who are
managing their own natural resources in
the country - welcome news as external
funding has declined in recent years.

PARAGUAY
We backed a project for 11 Indigenous and
rural communities in the Chaco-Pantanal
See page 59 for credits

ZIMBABWE

- strengthening their response to the
health emergency caused by COVID-19 by

The reported abuses committed by
some government rangers horrify us,
and go against all the values we stand
for. We feel deep and unreserved
sorrow for those who have suffered.
We are determined to do more to make
communities' voices heard, to have their
rights respected, and to consistently
advocate for governments to uphold their
human rights obligations. Our conviction
is that the steps we are taking will help
safeguard communities and the nature
upon which they depend, and that we
and our partners will deliver more
lasting conservation as a result.

providing equipment ranging from digital

Read the report and the steps we are

thermometers to face masks. See page 8

taking in response to its recommendations at

for our global pandemic response.

wwf.panda.org/independentreview

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WWF Annual Review 20

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of WWF Annual Review 20
