WWF Annual Review 2023 - 13

In November 2023, tens of thousands marched for action on the climate crisis in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Individuals have a key role to play in making change happen.
As WWF celebrates achievement on
the ground in this Annual Review, and
charts progress in the global policy
space, we acknowledge that biodiversity
globally continues to decline and
carbon emissions continue to rise.
A widely endorsed global narrative
that is pro-environment and prosustainability
masks the stark truth
that our collective strategies to conserve
and restore nature are dwarfed by
the money and political influence
dedicated to unsustainable production
and consumption patterns. This reality
poses various challenges for WWF
and its staff, requiring us to carefully
consider where and how we best
deploy our limited resources.
DEALING WITH COMPLEXITY
The nature and climate crises are
possibly the ultimate 'wicked problem',
with multiple interdependent factors
making them seem impossible to solve.
For WWF it means our work requires
complex and innovative solutions
that address economic, financial,
governance and social levers in an
integrated approach. While designing
for complexity is a challenge for us,
it is also an exciting space − creating
opportunities to expand our skill sets
and find new partners. We have strong
attributes and shared values across
the global WWF Network that
position us well in combining systems
thinking with conservation efforts
on the ground.
NAVIGATING CONFLICT AND INSTABILITY
With many of the world's most
important natural spaces enduring
conflict and instability, WWF and other
nature conservation NGOs are facing
increasing threats from shrinking civic
space and attacks on their organization,
staff and partners. Environmental
human rights defenders (EHRDs)
working on the ground are the main
victims of these attacks, suffering
harassment, intimidation, assaults
and worse. WWF is well placed to
use our voice to hold violators of
the environment and human rights
to account. But this is becoming
increasingly difficult as more and
more WWF offices experience these
trends first hand.
CONNECTING NATURE AND CLIMATE AGENDAS
Climate change and declining
biodiversity are twin crises, but the
approach to solutions is often not
integrated. It is increasingly clear that
to be successful we need to tackle both
issues together. Nature-based solutions,
for example, can contribute to both
climate and biodiversity objectives.
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Main: © Sam Hobson / WWF-UK, inset: © Annemiek Smidts / WWF-Netherlands

WWF Annual Review 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of WWF Annual Review 2023