PEOPLE are at the root of nature’s problems: think climate change, pollution, and rampant species extinctions. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) understands that for conservation to be sustainable, it must first be embraced by local communities. When deforesting threatened India’s endangered red pandas, the WWF trained locals to make and install efficient cookstoves that require less wood fodder while reducing cooking times and indoor air pollution. WWF works on long-term solutions, tackling six ambitious goals with a human-centric attitude. This integrated approach to conservation includes forestry, marine, freshwater, wildlife, food, and climate. It influences policy, increases awareness, and calls for action — from the grassroots to the global. With one million supporters and partnerships and projects in over 100 countries, the BV judging panel has no hesitation in presenting WWF with the 2019 Outstanding Contribution to Global Wilderness Preservation award.
