wwf’s global programme conservation in action: asia...

Conservation in action:

Asia Pacific

W W F ’ S G L O B A L P R O G R A M M E

DiscoveriesIn Borneo there has been over

400 newly recorded speciessince 1994, including 52 in

2006 alone and most recentlyan entirely new big catspecies, the Bornean

clouded leopard.

ReefsAustralia contains one quarterof the total area of coral reefsin the world.

ReligionsAsia Pacific has anextraordinary blend of faiths, including Animism,Buddhism, Christianity,Confucianism, Hinduism,Islam, Shinto and Taoism.

RainforestsRich with species like theendangered orang-utan,Indonesia possesses half ofSoutheast Asia’s remainingtropical forests.

PeaksThe Himalayan mountainrange is home to the world’shighest peaks and stretches2,500 km throughAfghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan.

Oceans80 per cent of New Zealand’s

indigenous biodiversity isfound in the sea.

PeopleIn New Guinea, 1,100 of theworld’s estimated 7,000languages are concentrated inless than one percent of theworld’s landmass.

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FRONT COVER:

INDIAN TIGER

© WWF-CANON / MARTIN HARVEY

LOGGERHEAD TURTLE

© WWF-CANON / MICHEL GUNTHER

CHILDREN IN TONLE SAP RIVER, CAMBODIA

© WWF-CANON / ZEB HOGAN

Contents

2 WWF’s priority conservation

areas in Asia Pacific

4 The greatest challenge:

achieving a balance…

6 Collaboration for conservation

across borders

8 Climate changes

12 Forests for life

16 Freshwater initiatives

20 A future for our species

24 Protecting Asia Pacific’s oceans

28 Sustainable solutions

29 Positive partnerships with WWF

Asia PacificA vibrant region of unrivalled

cultural and biological diversity

Life-giving riversThe great Yangtze Riverprovides water to one-third of China’s 1.3 billion people.

IslandsAs many as 30,000 islandsdot the Pacific Ocean, dividedinto three groups – Melanesia(black islands), Micronesia(small islands) and Polynesia(many islands).

Charismatic speciesIndia has the largestpopulation of Asian tigers,rhinos and elephants in the world.

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Disclaimer The geographical designations given here do not imply the expression of

any opinion whatsoever on the part of WWF concerning the legal status of any country,

territory or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

WWF’s PriorityConservation Areas

1 Amur Heilong2 Annamite Range Moist Forests3 Bismarck-Solomon Seas4 Borneo Lowland

and Montane Forests5 Eastern Himalayas6 Fiji Barrier Reef7 Great Barrier Reef8 Indus Delta9 Lower Mekong Dry Forest

10 Mekong River11 New Zealand Marine12 New Caledonia Dry Forests13 Southwestern Australia

Forests and Scrub14 Southwestern Ghats15 Sula-Sulawesi Seas16 TransFly Savannas17 Yangtze Basin18 Yellow Sea

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3Throughout Asia Pacific, WWF focuses its conservation work on a range of priorityplaces or ecoregions, through broad visions, large scales and long timehorizons, to achieve great and sustainedconservation impact.

The goal is to conserve, restore and sustainably manage the full range of an ecoregion’s diversity: its species,ecological processes and ecosystems, on a scale that ensures the long-termsurvival of biodiversity and communityresources.

Human development needs, particularlyunderstanding the linkages between socialand biological factors, are an importantpart of WWF’s ecoregion approach so thatthe interactions between social, economicand ecological issues are reconciled withconservation action. This is being achievedthrough a “local to global” approach, wherework undertaken by sub-regional initiatives, as well as at regional and global levels,contributes to direct conservation impacts on the ground in the focal ecoregions.

These factors form a vital base forWWF’s conservation action in Asia Pacific.

WWF’s priority conservationareas in Asia Pacific

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Over the past forty years, Asia Pacific has trebled its consumption of naturalresources. Now the world’s largest energyconsumer, the region is using morenatural resources than one planet canprovide. Achieving a balance betweenpursuing development and conservingnatural resources presents the greatestchallenge facing the region today.

With 3.3 billion people – over half ofthe world’s population – Asia Pacific hassome of the fastest growing economies,and yet nearly 670 million people continue to live on less than US$1 a day.China and India, the two countries withthe world’s largest populations, haveexperienced particularly high growth rates in recent years. Coupled with an expanding middle class, this increasein spending power and consumption is having a major environmental impact,not only on the environment in China and India, but also on other Asiancountries and the rest of the world.

Such population growth, economicdevelopment and poverty are puttingconsiderable pressure on marine andforest habitats, species survival and theavailability of freshwater. Illegal trade intimber, wildlife and live reef fish, continueto grow – the total annual value of livereef fish imported into Hong Kong forfood is now estimated to be over US$400 million. Today, according to the IUCN Red List of endangeredspecies, an estimated 8,350 species

in the region are officially listed as beingunder threat from extinction.

The mission of WWF across Asia andthe Pacific is to ensure a future for bothpeople and nature. Since 1962, throughits conservation action, WWF has workedin Asia Pacific to protect, manage, restoreand promote the sustainable use ofresources, with the aim of ensuring thesurvival of its astonishing array of speciesand natural habitats.

Undoubtedly, Asia Pacific’s continuinggrowth will have a profound impact on the environment, unless there is greaterinvestment and education to encouragesustainability particularly in issues such as water, timber and energy. Withoutinvestment at this crucial juncture,

The greatest challenge:

achieving a balance…

Through partnerships with companies, investors, governments as well as non-governmentalorganisations (NGOs) and communities, WWF delivers both on the ground conservation andadvocates for sustainability across this dynamic region.

the cost to the region will be great.Our future depends on finding ways

to take better care of the ecosystems that support life on Earth, and on forging collaborations that can deliver big results for conservation anddevelopment. Partnerships are crucial for both conservation and the fightagainst poverty, beginning with achieving the United Nations MillenniumDevelopment Goals. WWF is rising to this challenge by forging partnerships with government, business, communitiesand development organisations acrossthe region, to deliver positive and lasting change.

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Mick Davis, WWF’s Woodland Watch Project Officer, works with farmers in Western Australia.

One Planet Living –treading a little lighter on the environment

The ecological footprint of an individual is a measure of how much of nature’sresources they use. It represents theamount of biologically productive land andwater a person requires for the resourcesthey consume. Today, the footprint of theAsia Pacific region is 1.7 times as large as its own biological capacity. This meansthat, at its current rate of consumption,the region needs more than one and a half times its own land and sea space to support its resource demands. In AsiaPacific, 13 countries are currently runningecological deficits, with their footprintsgreater than their biocapacity. The largestper capita footprints are those of Australia,New Zealand, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

With economies and resource demand growing, so too could theregion’s ecological footprint. If China and India were to achieve the per capitafootprint of Japan, they would togetherrequire the natural resources of an entireplanet to meet their needs. The currentstate of ‘ecological overshoot’ will have to be eliminated for the region to reachsustainability. One Planet Living is anopportunity for countries to establish a sustainable, prosperous future for thelong term and to make the challenge of living on one planet achievable,affordable and attractive.

WWF is promoting One Planet Living

and its guiding principles to catalysechange with governments, business and individuals. For more information see:

www.oneplanetliving.org

For the past 10 years, WWF has beenpromoting sustainable developmentthroughout the education sector in China.In partnership with the Ministry ofEducation and national universities, theprinciples of sustainable developmenthave been integrated into teacher trainingprogrammes, the curriculum of primaryand secondary schools and highereducation institutions throughout thecountry. In West China, on the EastQinghai-Tibet Plateau, the initiativefocuses on community empowermentand citizen participation in sustainableresource management.

As a result, WWF’s Education forSustainable Development has reached

“Asia-Pacific is in a unique position to shape the world’spath to sustainabledevelopment in thecoming decades.”

James Leape, Director General

WWF International, December 2005


an incredible 200 million students,dozens of local communities,government officials and the generalpublic across China.

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Education for sustainable development

University students (top)

from Shanghai, Beijing and

Hong Kong participated in

WWF’s Yangtze Biodivesity

and Culture Summer Camp.

WWF’s “Wetland

Ambassadors” visited

Zhangdu Lake, a

demonstration lake and part

of the WWF HSBC Yangtze

Programme, China.

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“This event is more thansymbolic as it represents acommitment between ourthree countries to conserveand sustainably manage the Heart of Borneo.”

Dato Seri Azmi bin Khalid,

Malaysian Minister of Natural

Resources and Environment,

12 February 2007, Bali, Indonesia

Safeguarding the rainforest Heart of BorneoBorneo is renowned as one of the most important centres of biologicaldiversity in the world. Home to 10 speciesof primates including the endangeredorang-utan, as well as rare rhinos, pygmy elephants and the Borneanclouded leopard, it continues to be the source of exciting new scientificdiscoveries. As with much of the forest habitats in the region, Borneo’s rainforest heartland and the source of the island’s freshwater, is under severe threat.

In February 2007, an historicDeclaration to conserve the Heart ofBorneo, an area covering almost a thirdof the island, was officially signedbetween its three governments – BruneiDarussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia. The Declaration, which was theculmination of two years of negotiationsassisted by WWF, is a major conservationand sustainable development success for the region and promises a future for Borneo’s threatened species andequatorial rainforest through a network of protected areas and sustainablymanaged forests. The tri-nationalagreement will also provide water security for the 17 million people of the island that depend on the forests of the Heart of Borneo for freshwater.

Joining together for the ancientmariner of the Bismarck-Solomon SeasAlready the world’s most endangeredmarine turtle, leatherbacks have beenexperiencing a dramatic populationdecline in recent years, particularly in the Pacific Ocean, where there are onlyestimated to be 2,300 nesting femalesremaining.

In August 2006, with support fromWWF, the governments of Indonesia,Papua New Guinea and the SolomonIslands agreed to increase efforts toprotect the last remaining population of leatherbacks in the western centralPacific through joint conservation action.The governments will establish a networkof marine protected areas across theBismarck-Solomon Seas covering criticalhabitats, migratory routes and enhanceconservation efforts for the turtles throughcollaborative research. Communities willalso benefit from the protected areas,which guard against the depletion of vital fish stocks. This type of muchneeded protection is only achievablethrough solid cross border cooperation.

Biodiversity doesn’t always neatly adhere to country boundaries.Cross border partnerships are therefore an essential part ofachieving WWF’s conservation mission in Asia Pacific.

Collaborationfor conservation across borders

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Three countries, one conservation vision:

(from left to right) Pehin Dr Awang Haji

Ahmad bin Haji Jumat, Brunei Darussalam’s

Minister of Industry and Primary Resources,

MS Kaban, Indonesia’s Minister of Forestry

and Dato Seri Azmi bin Khalid,

Malaysia’s Minister of Natural Resources

and Environment.

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Shy forest dweller ‘captured’ on film

In April 2007, the first ever film footage of a rhino in the Heart of Borneo was taken by a motion-triggered camera, set up by WWF’s Rhino Rescue team inSabah, Malaysia. One of just 50 Bornean rhinos believed to remain on the island of Borneo, WWF is working on a five-year project to save this endangered species by protecting its natural habitat, reducing poaching and increasing research effortson the ecological, biological and spatial needs of the mammal. This effort will begreatly helped by the new tri-national declaration to conserve the Heart of Borneo.

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“It has become clear since we started to discuss cooperationon the vision for the Heart of Borneo that the world outsideour countries is excited by what we are doing and is prepared to lend us support.”

Pehin Dr Awang Haji Ahmad bin Haji Jumat,

Minister of Brunei Darussalam’s Industry

and Primary Resources

“This is an historic occasion which marks new collaborationbetween our three countries. This will put the Heart ofBorneo on the world stage as one of the last great blocks of forest in the world.”

MS Kaban

Indonesian Minister of Forestry

12 February 2007, Bali, Indonesia

The newly

discovered Bornean

clouded leopard

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Climate change is a serious threat to the world’s biodiversity and ecosystems.And the local impacts, familiar to WWF’s conservationists and theircommunities are being seen across theregion. For a country like Australia, whichis the driest inhabited continent on Earth,the impacts of climate change are evermore apparent. In recent years, thecountry has witnessed hotter and drierconditions, a decrease in water availabilityand is still experiencing a severe drought that began back in 2002. Global warming causes extreme weatherpatterns to occur, not just droughts, butalso floods, and ultimately rises in sealevels. Perhaps particularly vulnerable to this threat are the many low-lying

chains of Pacific islands. Asia Pacific’s reliance on coal is

contributing the most to global warmingwithin the region – currently, 95 per centof energy production is generated fromthis polluting resource. Demonstratingthat cost effective solutions do exist forsignificantly reducing greenhouse gasemissions is a cornerstone of WWF’sclimate change mission.

As a tropical archipelago, thePhilippines is vulnerable to climate changeimpacts such as coral bleaching, sea-level rise and problems surroundingfreshwater supply. In 2005, through itslobbying work, WWF achieved a majormilestone in convincing authorities thatestablishing a series of wind farms, rather

Climatechanges

Climate change is the most pressing environmental problem for the region… and for the world.

than new coal plants, was a bettersolution to meet the energy needs of the country. In collaboration with privatebusinesses, we are now developing windfarms in the north of the country. As wellas reducing harmful emissions, it isestimated that the country can saveUS$2.9 billion in fossil-fuel imports overthe next ten years through this scheme.

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The Philippines is

vulnerable to

climate change

impacts such as

coral bleaching and

sea-level rise.

“When I was a young man, we thought of ourselves as living ‘on the coast’. Now the house where I was born is a couple of hundred metres out to sea.” Kini Dunn, Togoru, Fiji


Through our Climate Savers Business

Initiative, WWF is working with leadinginternational corporations around theworld to help them reduce their climateimpact. The results speak for themselves– by 2010, the WWF Climate Savers

companies will have reduced theircollective CO2 emissions by over 10 million tons, and are today yieldingthe economic benefits. Johnson & Johnson is reaping more than US$30 million in annualised energyefficiency savings. Lafarge reduced over 4 million tons of CO2 emissions in 2005 –on the EU allowance market these were worth €73 million. Sagawa Expresssaves US$5 million by reducing vehicle

idling so reducing fuel costs. In 2006,Japanese electronics giant Sony agreedto cut their carbon emissions by sevenper cent by 2010 – a significantcommitment given that the corporation’semissions were 2,183,765 tons in the year 2000.

If just 1,300 companies followedSony’s example, the world could achieve its initial targets under the Kyoto Protocol on Global Warming.

WWF’s international network is available to companies interested in achieving a reduction in carbonemissions, gaining knowledge andvisibility. WWF has climate changespecialists working in 30 countries.

For more information on how to

become part of the Climate Savers

Business Initiative see:

www.panda.org/climate

Work with us to minimise your company’s carbon footprint

The wind farm

(below) in Ilocos

Norte (north of

the Philippines)

is the first large-

scale wind farm

in Southeast Asia.

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More energy-efficient transport,buildings and industry in major cities,particularly in China and India, could helppush emissions down further. In China,WWF and partners are pioneeringsolutions towards a low carbon citydevelopment with the aim that it willeventually be replicated throughout thecountry. In addition, WWF’s 20 Ways

to 20% Energy Saving Campaign isencouraging the Chinese public to takeaction against climate change in theirhome, office and in the way they travel, to help China achieve its national 20 per cent energy saving target.

Along with reducing emissions,adapting to and preparing for changes in the world’s climate is also important.Working in partnership with thegovernment of Nepal, WWF is carryingout research correlating climate changeand glacier retreat in the Himalayas, thehighest of the world’s mountain ranges.Indications show that of the thousands ofglacier lakes in Nepal, more than 20 areready to burst, a situation that couldresult in devastating floods. In parallel with this important research, WWF is alsoworking to outline adaptation strategiesfor vulnerable communities who live in the shadows of the mountains.

Already damaged

by coral bleaching,

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Barrier Reef (left)

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global warming

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The village of

Manga (right)

lies beneath the

Gangapurna Glacier

and glacier lake,

north central Nepal.

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China’s economy is booming and as adirect result, 50 per cent of the world’sconstruction is expected to take place in the country over the next 15 years. If this is not to have a substantial impacton the climate, it is essential to exploreoptions for reducing the carbon emissions of buildings.

Following successful work in the UK tocreate zero emission housing, WWF and

“Climbing Everest has become so easy today. I hear they can do it in eighthours! This is because there is less snow. The glaciers are shrinking rapidly.”

Ngawang Tenzing Jangpo, Abbot of Tengboche monastery,

Khumbu, Nepal

The path to becoming acarbon neutral business

To avoid net carbon emissions and become carbon neutral, anorganisation needs to undertake five steps:1 Assess the current emissions from,

for example, travel, heating andcooling, production.

2 Avoid all emission producingactivities that are not absolutelynecessary, for example, replacesome travel by video conferencing,install combined heat and powersystems.

3 Improve efficiency of energy use to reduce CO2 emissions further.

4 Offset unavoidable emissionsthrough investment in greenhousegas offset initiatives like GoldStandard projects.

5 Review strategies annually tobecome increasingly efficient every year, decreasing the amountof CO2 emissions that need to be offset step-by-step. The targetshould be to reduce offsets to zero over time.

For more information on

Gold Standard offset projects

see: www.cdmgoldstandard.org

partner NGO BioRegional have nowsecured crucial support from the Chinesegovernment with an agreement to worktogether to pioneer and implement One Planet Living ideas and technologiesin China. A Chinese civil engineer is part of the team now looking at a number of potential sites in the country, with theview that construction will start shortly on the first One Planet Living community.

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Low carbon housing in China

WWF campaigned in Xidan (below),

Beijing’s popular shopping area, with

a melting ice sculpture of a polar bear.

WWF calls for support for renewables

and a cut in CO2 emissions.


An essential source of freshwater, foodand shelter, the foundations of manyindigenous societies can be traced backto the forests, since it was the forestenvironment that shaped their villages,traditions and art. Today, these forests are a valuable source of subsistence andeconomic development, with some 36million people in Indonesia alone directlydependant on forests for their livelihoods.

Championing sustainable forestryForest clearance for agriculturalplantations and the international demandfor tropical timber are the major causes of unsustainable logging today. Largewood consumers Japan and China havea crucial role to play in shaping the future of the region’s forests. Already the biggestimporters of wood in Asia Pacific,ensuring these countries use only legaland sustainable timber is vital. Not only a disaster for species habitat and suppliesof freshwater, illegal logging robs theIndonesian economy of US$3 billion each year and the CO2 released as a result of the deforestation contributes to climate change.

To meet the challenge, WWF hasestablished the China Forest & Trade

Network to assist companies in Chinaand Hong Kong source timber and paperfrom sustainably managed forests, such

as those certified by the ForestStewardship Council (FSC). As part of theGlobal Forest & Trade Network (GFTN),similar groups have been established in Japan and Australia, as well as inpartnership with forestry companies inmajor tropical timber-producing countriesIndonesia and Malaysia, with the aim of increasing the area of forest under

Forestsfor life

sustainable management. Today, over430,000 hectares of forests have beencertified by the FSC in China. In October2005, the Vietnam Forest & Trade

Network was the first group to promotebusiness links between producers of responsible forest products andconcerned buyers from around the world.

The many and diverse forest types in Asia Pacificharbor a rich spectrum of life, from rare endangeredmammals to beautiful orchids and fantasticallyplumed birds of paradise.

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Mist rising through

dipterocarp trees

(above) in FSC

certified forest,

northern Malaysia.

Greening the plantationdream: sustainable palm oilPlantations of oil palm have caused hugedestruction in parts of Asia, especially thetropical lowland rainforests of Indonesiaand Malaysia where forest clearance foroil palm has had considerable negativeimpact on local people and endangeredwildlife such as orang-utans, tigers andrhinos. With a further six million hectaresof oil palm already planned acrossIndonesia, it is vital this development,which is intended to generate valuableexport income and employmentopportunities, does not impact further on Southeast Asia’s diminishing forests.

To help the plantation economies of theregion develop sustainably, the Roundtableon Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) wasestablished in 2004 with support fromWWF to promote the growth and use ofsustainable palm oil through cooperationalong the supply chain and open dialoguebetween its stakeholders. More than 230 members and affiliates, including oil palm growers, processors, traders,retailers, consumer goods manufacturers,banks, investors and NGOs have nowjoined the RSPO, and are activelysupporting the promotion of sustainablepalm oil production, procurement andconsumption. The membershiprepresents around one third of globalproduction. The first palm oil producedaccording to the sustainability principlesand criteria of the RSPO is expected on the market at the end of 2007. For more information on participating

in this initiative see: www.rspo.org


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Forest clearance for

oil palm (below) has

had considerable

negative impact on

local people and

endangered wildlife.


Conserving habitatsWWF is also supporting the protection of threatened forests by helpinggovernments and communities toestablish more protected areas. Thisensures that forests of the highestbiodiversity are kept intact and theresources they provide to localcommunities can continue to benefitgenerations to come. Over the past tenyears WWF has helped establish morethan 50 million hectares of new forestprotected areas worldwide. Recently, 12 new protected areas were announced on the island of New Guinea,considerably increasing the existing areaof rainforest under protection in PapuaNew Guinea by 50 per cent.

WWF also played an important role in the Nepali government’s decision to set aside significant areas of land in the Eastern Himalayas for conservation.In September 2006, the KanchenjungaConservation Area was handed over to local communities for management. The first of its kind in the country, thisarea spans 2,035 square kilometres in north-eastern Nepal, and containstracts of pristine forests, alpine meadows,high-altitude wetlands, glaciers and theworld’s third-highest mountain. It alsoprovides crucial habitat for suchendangered species as the snow leopardand red panda.

Restoring lost forestsNearly half the world’s original forestshave been lost, and many are still beingdamaged, degraded or destroyed,particularly in Southeast Asia wheredeforestation rates are greater thananywhere else.

WWF conservationists in Vietnam are working on an ambitious long-termproject to restore some of the lastremaining lowland forests in the country.The current fragmented forest area in the Central Truong Son Range is home to more than 20 endangered species,such as the red-shanked douc langur, a beautiful and striking primate species. It is also one of the world’s few remaininghabitats of the elusive saola, a rare largemammal that was only discovered by scientists in 1992. Across the border in Laos, the concept of replacing lostforests has now been adopted by the government, who plan to restore six million hectares of natural forest by the year 2020.

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(Top) Communities

celebrate the launch

of new protected

areas in the Kikori

region of Papua

New Guinea by

holding a traditional

sing-sing festival.

Vietnam’s elusive

saola (above) was

only discovered by

scientists in 1992.

Building relationships with tsunami relief agencies

In the wake of the devastating tsunami of 2005, WWF, together withConservation International launchedTimber for Aceh, an initiative aimed athelping Indonesian communities rebuildtheir lives by mobilising the forestindustries in Europe, North America and Pacific to donate timber for theconstruction of new homes. Today,certified timber is being used in thebuilding of new settlements in Sumatrawith the help of relief agencies such asInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Muslim Aid,Habitat for Humanity Indonesia and USAID.

The forests in one of the worst areasaffected on the island, Aceh province, are home to the last remaining Sumatranorang-utans. Through this cooperativerelationship, Timber for Aceh has helpedfind the balance between the needs ofcommunities and reducing the pressureon Indonesia’s dwindling forest habitat.

In collaboration with the American Red Cross, WWF is supporting recoveryactivities in areas such as fisheriesmanagement and freshwater supply, to reinstate access to clean water and to create sanitation systems that will notpollute groundwater or coastal resources.By combining resources and expertise,the American Red Cross and WWF willrestore livelihoods, reduce environmentaldamage and make communities strongerand safer for the future.

Local heroPurna Bahadur Kunwar, WWF Conservationist, Chitwan National Park, Nepal

“The best part about working in Chitwan has been the high conservationawareness and motivation that existsamong communities – if we cannotconvince the local people to join us inbiodiversity conservation then we mightlose the battle. I enjoy what I do because I believe that my work isbettering the lives of people whileensuring conservation success.

The downside of working in the field is that I see very little of family. My wife,Eak Maya, and two beautiful children,Annapurna (13) and Anil (10), live quite far away. Of course I miss themtremendously but I tend to think that not only me but my whole family iscontributing to the cause of conservationand livelihoods of rural communities.Although it is a hard choice to make,being a grassroots conservationist meansworking in the field and if Chitwan iswhere I am needed, then that is where I must put my time and effort!

It is very encouraging to know that although I am the only field staff inChitwan, I have the backing of an entireglobal conservation community to pushforward our goals.”

Chitwan National Park lies within theEastern Himalayas ecoregion that spansBhutan, India and Nepal, and is home toan estimated 800 elephants, 600 rhinosand 600 tigers.


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In at least 16 countries across AsiaPacific, water resources are being used at unsustainably high levels and thequality of water is often poorest in those countries that have the leastamounts available.

Sustainable agriculture In Pakistan, water availability and qualityis not meeting the economic, social andenvironmental needs of the country. As the fourth largest cotton producer inthe world, the crop plays an importantrole in its economy. However, inefficientagriculture consumes over 90 per cent of the available water and around threequarters of all imported pesticides areused specifically on cotton. As aconsequence, it is responsible forpesticide sickness in more than half the agricultural workforce.

Understanding the importance of bothcotton to the economy and a healthysupply of clean freshwater to the country,WWF with support from the EuropeanCommission, established the Sustainable

Cotton Initiative with the aim ofsupporting environmentally friendlyfarming techniques. Results are showingthat more cotton can be grown with 30 percent less water and less than halfas much pesticide, leading to higher farmincome, more available freshwater for thecommunity and less wetland pollution.

Harnessing nature’s power sustainably Hydropower seems an attractivealternative to polluting fossil fuels, but the path to harnessing this form of energy is fraught with its own problems.The main approach to unlocking theenergy potential of the region’s rivers hasbeen to construct a series of dams alongits waterways. However, by effectingwetlands and rivers, mega-projects such as dams can destroy livelihoods and degrade the environment, leavingcommunities fighting for basic resources.

Freshwater initiatives

The world is witnessing a water crisis. Ensuring the sustainable management or protection of wetland habitats is crucial for the Earth’s freshwater supplies.

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In Pakistan,

(above) around

three quarters of all

imported pesticides

are used specifically

on cotton.

An ideal hat!

These Chinese

children (top) find

the perfect use for

the water resistant

properties of the

lotus leaf.

“China has nearly a quarter of the world’spopulation but just 8 per cent of its freshwater– water shortages cost the country economiclosses of US$35 billion each year.”

Greening the Dragon: China’s search for a sustainable future,

Green Futures, 2006


Divided by dams: Asia Pacific’s riverdolphins

River dolphins swim in Asia Pacific’smightiest rivers, the Ganges, Indus,Mekong and Yangtze, which flow throughsome of the most densely populated andpoorest areas on Earth. Dam building,entanglement in fishing nets and pollutionhave led to drastic declines in dolphinpopulations over a number of decadesand several Asian species are nowamongst the most endangered of all cetaceans.

Once ranging throughout a number of the river systems of Bangladesh, Indiaand Nepal, today the endangered GangesRiver Dolphin population is divided intoisolated groups as a result of damconstruction. Some estimates now showthat the total population could be as fewas 1,200–1,800 individuals.

WWF is working across Asia Pacific to reduce or eliminate the threats to riverdolphins and porpoises. Efforts tosafeguard the freshwater cetaceans willnot only help save many other freshwaterspecies, but will also directly contribute to human livelihoods by ensuring theavailability of clean freshwater. In India,WWF has significantly stepped up itsconservation efforts, partnering withleading Indian and international scientificinstitutions to better understand thismagnificent species.

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R Tarbela dam (above) on the Indus River,

Pakistan. Hydropower seems an attractive

alternative to polluting fossil fuels, but the

path to harnessing this form of energy

is fraught with its own problems.

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Reconnecting China’s greatwaterways Over the past 50 years, the natural flows of more than 100 lakes have beencut off from the Yangtze because ofunsustainable practices. This has greatlydisrupted the river, once a vibrant,complex network of wetlands and lakes.

Through the joint Investing in Nature

programme of WWF and HSBC, eleven of these lakes have now beenreconnected, a first step in restoring the natural ecological processes of adegraded wetland ecosystem. This hasboosted water levels and quality, and is allowing the natural migration of fishduring their breeding season.

In addition, in partnership with theGovernment of China, over 200 newpriority sites in the country will conserveand sustainably use more than 20 millionhectares of wetlands. And the doubling of protected giant panda habitat to over 330,000 hectares in Qinlingmountains will contribute to the health of the Yangtze, which supplies water to 400 million people.

The Mekong River is the direct source of livelihoods and food for 50 millionpeople. Cambodians alone capture two million tonnes of fish a year from the Mekong and it plays a crucial functionin the cultivation of rice and other crops.Currently, there are 190 large hydropowerdams at different stages of planning in the Greater Mekong region. WWF is working with the AsianDevelopment Bank and the Mekong River Commission to promoteenvironmental criteria for hydropowerdevelopment. This would ensure the siteand design of further projects have theleast social and environmental impact and would also improve the operations of existing projects. The initiative is part of broader WWF action within Asia Pacific to make certain that investmentdecisions are made responsibly.

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their catch of Pra,

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New Guinea: conservingthe TransFly, Asia Pacific’swetland jewel

New Guinea has the world’s third largestrainforest and some of the most extensiveand least disturbed rivers and wetlands in Asia Pacific. Recently, WWF played a key role in formulating a conservationvision for one of the largest, richest andmost pristine wetlands in the region. The TransFly is a unique coastallandscape of savannas, wetlands, and monsoon forest habitats spanning 10 million hectares and is home to morethan half of New Guinea’s bird species,including 80 that are endemic to theisland. The vision represents theculmination of three years of consultation,data collection, mapping and analysis byWWF to identify and prioritise the habitatsand species, and document theimportance of the region for traditionalcultures, local landowner groups and their livelihoods.

By promoting the protection andsustainable management of Asia Pacific’sfreshwater and forests, WWF is workingto ensure future security for vital habitatsand the people and species that depend on them. For more information see:

www.panda.org/newguineaforests


The island of New Guinea has globally

significant wetlands including the TransFly

and Lake Kutubu (above), recognised under

the Ramsar convention as a wetland

of international importance.

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Ten a month since 1994, that’s theincredible rate in which species arebeing discovered on the island ofBorneo, many in the Heart of Borneo. In New Guinea, WWF scientists recentlydiscovered a wealth of beautiful neworchid species, whilst off the coast ofThailand our divers have been exploringa newly found coral reef. We are alsolearning more about existing wildlife – a field survey by WWF together withChina’s State Forest Administrationshowed 40 per cent more giant pandasnow live in the wild than previouslyestimated – a remarkable find. In Minshan and Qinling, we have

helped re-link fragmented giant pandahabitat with a network of new protectedand managed forest areas, whichtogether are home to 60 per cent of the total panda population.

Throughout Asia Pacific, biodiversitycontinues to pay the price forunsustainable development. Stabilisingpopulations of priority species and theirkey habitats, as well as halting theexploitation of endangered wildlife, isWWF’s species conservation mission.

Habitat loss has given wildlifepoachers and smugglers greater accessto species. According to TRAFFIC, thewildlife trade monitoring arm of WWF

and IUCN, the World ConservationUnion, set up to combat the illegalindustry, wildlife products worth US$160 billion dollars were importedaround the globe each year throughoutthe 1990s. In Nepal, the greater one-horned rhino has become a majortarget for the lucrative illegal trade in rhino horn, and as a result, numbershave been decimated. Recent anti-poaching efforts supported by WWF led to the apprehension of some ofNepal’s most notorious traders andpoachers in the Chitwan National Park,one of the last strongholds for thisendangered mammal.

A future for ourspeciesAsia’s giant panda has been the symbol of WWF’s commitment to species conservation since 1962. Today, we work to ensure a future for all of the region’s remarkable wildlife, from India’smajestic elephants to the many species yet to be discovered…

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Ensuring a future for the tiger – the icon of AsiaThroughout the tiger’s range, spanning 14 countries across the region,WWF is working tirelessly to bring about a profound change for the future of thespecies. Numbering 100,000 in the early1900s, the population of Asia’s tigers hasplummeted 95 per cent to as little as5,000 today. Of the wild tigers remaining,most live in small isolated populations.Keeping these groups intact andextending their range, amid some of themost densely populated countries ispossible – but to do this, conservationistsneed to create ‘people-friendly’

approaches that allow humans to coexist with tigers.

The only mangrove forest in the world inhabited by the tiger lies at theSunderbans delta where rivers flowingfrom the Himalayas mark the junctionbetween Bangladesh and India. Spanning the two countries is an area of crucial tiger habitat covering 4,000square kilometres, home to an estimated 600 tigers. People living in and aroundthis landscape depend on the mangrovesfor a variety of resources including honey, firewood, thatch, fish and shrimp.To guard against human-tiger conflictsand lessen the encroachment of the

forest, WWF is helping local peopledevelop alternative forms of incomegeneration. The communities of ChotaMolla Khali are now engaged in batikpainting, poultry and improved agriculturethat bring them a higher income and less dependence on the resources fromprime tiger habitat.

In the Kingdom of Bhutan, tigerconservation work has led to thedeclaration of nearly nine percent of the country’s total land area as wildlifecorridors, assuring free movement for this species between some very criticalforest areas outside the existing protected areas.

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In Royal Chitwan

National Park, the

Indian rhinoceros

are radio tracked

from the back

of an elephant.

Stabilising the

habitats and

populations of priority

species such as the

giant panda, Indian

tiger and greater

one-horned rhino

is WWF’s species

conservation mission.


ProfileHunter turned conservationist: Kha, Cambodia

Using experience in protected areamanagement from South Africa, WWF’sSrepok Wilderness Project in the LowerMekong Dry Forests, eastern Cambodia,is promoting community ecotourismalternatives to lucrative wildlife trade,logging and agriculture that threaten thearea’s Dry Forest today. By generatingnew and alternative jobs for local peopleWWF is working to restore the oncewildlife abundant Dry Forests, home to some of the world’s most threatened species.

Kha knows these woodlandsintimately. For years he stalked this foresthunting the tigers and elephants that now, as head community ranger, heprotects. It was here in the late 1970s,and as a Khmer Rouge soldier he foughtthe Vietnamese when they crossed thenearby border in response to repeatedattacks by Pol Pot’s notorious army. Backthen there was an abundance of wildlife.He often saw large herds of wild cattleand even kouprey, Cambodia’s nationalanimal, now thought to be extinct. Today,he estimates, there is only half the wildlifethere used to be.

Kha’s conversion to conservation is not entirely altruistic. He likes theregular salary and doesn’t want his son to become a hunter. Knowing thatconservation in a country as poor asCambodia will only succeed if localpeople continue to benefit economicallyfrom the river and its forests, WWF isseeking to bring tourists and revenue intothe Lower Mekong Dry Forests, to gobirding, fly fish on the river and trek theforest to view the wildlife, much astourists do in the thousands in SouthAfrica’s national parks.

© WWF GREATER MEKONG PROGRAMME

© NICK COX / WWF GREATER MEKONG PROGRAMME


Learning more about the elusive snow leopard

In the high mountains of Central Asiaalong the Pakistan-Afghanistan border,WWF’s wildlife research is focusing onone of the most shy, elusive and solitaryof all the big cats – the snow leopard.First photographed in the wild just 30 years ago, it is estimated that there are now only between 3,500 and 7,000 snow leopards remaining and population numbers are in decline in many parts of their range.

The new research, some of which will be concentrated in the Kingdom of Bhutan, includes gathering ecologicaldata and habitat status on snow leopardpopulations and in some areas uses GPS to track the range and movementsof the leopard. The first snow leopard tobe studied in this way was caught andcollared in the Chitral Gol National Park,in northern Pakistan. The new researchwill provide conservationists with anunprecedented level of data with which to address the threats facing this beautiful and endangered species.

Eastern Himalayas:Conservation on the roof of the world

Stretching from lush moist forests in the south to towering snowcapped peaksin the north, the Himalayas feature anastonishing variety of animals and plants.While this region has been romanticisedas a mythical paradise, it is a fragile land.Global warming is rapidly meltingmountain glaciers, poverty and populationgrowth are straining resources andpoaching is causing the decline of manyprized species such as rhinos and tigers.There are extraordinary opportunities herefor conservation to help the people andwildlife of the region live and prospertogether. The governments and people of Bhutan, India and Nepal share a strong conservation ethic. WWF isworking closely with them on innovativeways to promote their development andeconomic well-being, while protectingwildlife and restoring natural habitats at the same time.For more information see:

www.panda.org/easternhimalayas

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Creating ocean sanctuariesOceans cover nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s surface, and yet only afraction is protected. Increasing this areais a fundamental part of WWF’s marineconservation work. From communities tocorporations, from tourists to tri-nationalgovernment agreements, securing afuture for Asia Pacific’s oceans needs a regional effort.

Already there have been some greatsuccesses. In Australia following a four-year campaign by WWF, the protectedarea around the Great Barrier Reef was increased by nearly 30 per cent to become the world’s largest network of marine protected areas. And alongsidescientists, industry and government,WWF helped further establish a numberof new protected areas coveringbiologically important waters the size of the United Kingdom, off the southerncoast of Australia.

WWF was also instrumental insecuring the commitment of Fiji to protect30 per cent of its coastal and offshorewaters by 2020. This will create one of the largest complexes of underwatersanctuaries. Fijian Chief Tui Macuatalaunched the first marine area to be designated, the Great Sea Reef, one of the longest barrier reefs of its kind stretching 82 square kilometres. The pledge of the Fijian government has since been followed by the samecommitment from other Pacific nations.


The largest sea area in the world, the PacificOcean is the life force for a region that includesthousands of islands and archipelagos, and anastonishing diversity of marine life.

ProtectingAsia Pacific’s

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The Coral TriangleThe richest of the world’s coral reefs arefound in the Banda-Flores Seas, Bismarck-Solomon Seas and Sulu-Sulawesi Seas,collectively known as the Coral Triangle.The area spans the waters of Indonesia,Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, thePhilippines and Solomon Islands, andsupplies food and income to at least halfa billion people. This incredible region isalso home to the highest diversity ofmarine life on Earth, including 75 per centof all known coral and spawning areasthat are the source of nearly 90 per centof the global tuna catch.

Across this six million square kilometre region, WWF has established a conservation initiative to maintainbiodiversity and ensure long-term foodsecurity for its people. WWF is taking actionto transform tuna fishing, trade in live reeffish and tourism into sustainable andequitable enterprises, and also to securethe future for populations of ecologicallycritical species such as humphead wrasse,green, hawksbill, and leatherback turtles,and tuna – either by maintaining numbersor returning populations to healthy levels.Within the Coral Triangle, large-scale coralbleaching caused by climate change hasincreased in intensity in recent decades.WWF is using techniques to increase theability of coral reefs to withstand and torecover from climate change, whilesupporting the governments of the CoralTriangle countries and the local tourismand travel sector to actively backemissions reduction and climate changeadaptation measures.


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WWF recently discovered

an extensive and pristine

coral reef (left) lying

just off the shoreline

of Thailand in the

Andaman Sea.

In the Coral Triangle, WWF

is taking action to secure

the future for ecologically

critical species such as

humphead wrasse (left),

green, hawksbill, and

leatherback turtles (below).


Challenging harmful fishing practicesIt’s not just areas of ocean that needprotecting: marine species also continueto be threatened. Marine turtles such as the endangered loggerheads and the critically endangered leatherbacks are at risk from harmful fishing practices.Annually, more than a quarter of a millionof these threatened marine turtles arecaught on longline hooks worldwide.

To find new ways to avoid theaccidental snaring or ‘bycatch’ of marinelife, WWF launched the InternationalSmart Gear Competition in 2004. Now in its third year, the aim is to findnew, practical and cost-effective ideasthat allow fishermen to better target theircatch and provide local scale solutions to what is a very serious threat to raremarine mammals. Past winners haveincluded an innovative form of weightednetting which allows Pacific fishermen to minimise bycatch and encounters with the ocean’s turtles while maximisingtheir fish catch.

Securing the future supply of fish Once considered to be inexhaustible, our oceans are now in a state of globalcrisis as more people compete for fewerfish. Japan, the second largest market of fisheries products, brings in anincredible US$13billion from the industryannually. To achieve the goal ofsustainable fisheries in this vast market,WWF is working in cooperation withJapanese trading companies,supermarket chains, retailers and thegovernment to exclude illegal productsand make sustainable fish the product of choice for consumers and corporations alike.

In 1997, WWF and Unilever, theworld’s largest purchaser of seafood, co-founded the Marine Stewardship

Council (MSC) to create market incentivesfor sustainable fishing. The MSC labeltells consumers that a product has notcontributed to over fishing, environmentaldegradation or loss of biodiversity. In Japan MSC is getting rapidlyrecognized. In June 2006, KamewaShoten in Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Marketbecame the first wholesaler in Japan to supply MSC certified Alaska salmon,and in November Aeon, the nation’slargest supermarket chain, began sales of MSC certified seafood. Now ninewholesalers including Toyo Suisan,Kyokuyo and Nissui supply MSC certifiedseafood to supermarket chains such as Aeon and Seiyu. Japan’s first MSCcertified fishery is expected in mid 2007.In New Zealand, WWF is actively seekingto ensure that MSC certification offisheries is robust, highly regarded andwell supported in the marketplace.

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MSC certified

fish products

(right) are now

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WWF’s Smart Gear

Competition (below)

encourages fishing

innovations that help

to reduce bycatch.

Promoting community-based ecotourism

For almost ten years, WWF has been assisting the local government of Donsol in the Philippines to conservewhalesharks and to develop community-based ecotourism, providing bothconservation and community benefits.With foreign visitor numbers increasing at an annual rate of 43 per cent and an expected continued uptrend, thefuture challenges include visitor capacity,commercialism, and continuing to ensure that no stress is placed on the whalesharks.

Conserving rare dolphinsin the land of the longwhite cloud

In New Zealand, WWF is campaigning to stop the world’s rarest marine dolphin,Maui’s dolphin, from becoming extinct.Since the 1970s, numbers of Maui’sdolphins have dropped significantly toaround 110 today, with the remainingpopulation living only in the stretch of water along the west coast of theNorth Island – nowhere else on earth.

From government campaigning and community education through to scientific marine research, WWF isworking to tackle fishing-related deaths,protect habitat, reduce marine pollutionand learn more about this threatenedmarine mammal.

Current estimates predict that over the next decade, nine species of dolphinsand porpoises are likely to disappearthrough entanglement in lines and nets. In 2007, WWF campaigning is focusingon achieving a crucial ban on set netting– a particularly harmful type of fishing –within the coastal waters where Maui’srange. It is hoped that this action will form the basis for ensuring a future forthis rare New Zealand marine mammal.


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Sustainability is a core driving principle for WWF. In the long term, little will beachieved without a fundamental change in the way we consume natural resources.Today’s business environment has a vast impact upon the natural world and its role in finding sustainable solutions to the planet’s pressing environmentalchallenges is now more important than ever.

A growing number of companiesacknowledge that sustainability issues will have an important bearing on the way in which economic activities are organised in the future. They also recognise that integrating theseconsiderations into their businessstrategies could offer opportunities for long-term growth and prosperity.

Responding to the environmentalimpact of human activity on climatechange, forests, freshwater, the marine environment and species is the fundamental purpose of WWF’s business initiatives.

Companies involved in WWF’s Climate Savers Intiative are boosting their profile, profits and productivity by making intelligent energy decisions;the Global Forest & Trade Network, now active in nearly 30 countries, many in Asia Pacific, is proving to be a highlysuccessful market driven solution to the destructive illegal timber trade; in agriculture, initiatives like those on Sustainable Cotton and Better Sugar,are demonstrating how higher yields

and returns can be gained from betteruse of freshwater resources and carefullymanaged agricultural practices; and atsea, the environmental and economicbenefits of Marine Stewardship Councilcertification is ensuring that fishingindustries can maintain long-termlivelihood security.

Together, in partnership with industry, we are demonstrating that there are win-win solutions to the greatest of environmental challenges.

Profitable partnerships: The GlobalForest & Trade NetworkGlobal wood importers, suppliers,retailers, consumers and governments are increasingly demanding greaterevidence that environmental criteria are being applied and met on the wood they purchase.

WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network(GFTN) helps conserve the world’s forestswhile providing economic and socialbenefits for the businesses and peoplethat depend on them.

Through this extensive network, WWF is helping producers of sustainableforest products to successfully establishmarket links in timber–consumingcountries. The GFTN now includespartnerships with more than 300 majorcompanies worldwide, which buy or sell in excess of 190 million cubicmetres of forest products per year andmanage over 23 million hectares offorests progressing towards sustainablemanagement.

Today, the GFTN employs over 1.4 million people globally and has annual forest products sales exceedingUS$42 billion per year. The demand forsustainable forestry is without doubt large and growing. For more information see:

www.forestandtradeasia.org

Sustainablesolutions

“Many still believe that the environment is some kind of separate luxury item that can be addressed after economic development. This is opposite of the truth. The environment is the base of all humanactivities and the ultimate source of all our wealth.” Professor Emil Salim, Former Indonesian Minister of State

Asia Pacific 2005: Ecological Footprint and Ecological Wealth

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Investing in the future environmentWWF has been working to conserve AsiaPacific’s astonishing wealth of biodiversityfor over four decades, through innovativeconservation work that continues to helpensure the protection, management andsustainable use of the region’s habitatsand species.

As many of the pressures that face Asia Pacific’s environment today are directly related to investment indevelopment that is also much needed in the region, we recognise that we can’t achieve our mission alone for sustainable development.

Without investment to encouragesustainability particularly in issues such as water, timber and energy, achieving a balance between pursuing developmentand conserving natural resources willbecome increasingly difficult.

Together with governments, aid agencies, multilateral and inter-governmental organisations, andcompanies that share our commitment to sustainability and adopt

challenging targets for change, we can make real progress in tackling huge conservation issues like globalwarming, deforestation and the availability of freshwater to millions of peoplethroughout the region.

In particular, with the private sector we see opportunities to achievedirect conservation benefits and also to increase the business sector’scommitments to sustainable development and environmentally sound, commercially rewarding businesspractices. In India, through a newpublication, Indian Companies in the

21st Century, WWF is showing how the Indian corporate sector can rise to the challenges of sustainable trade.

Recently, WWF and Australian BankANZ launched a new and exciting three-year partnership which will look at changing the way business decisionsare made by the financial institution. Work will focus on complex issues suchas environmental finance and responsiblelending in sensitive industry sectors.

Positive partnerships

with WWF


WWF continues its role as a credible and influential global leader by campaigning and lobbying at thehighest possible level, achievingsignificant conservation results on theground, and effecting positive long-termchange across the Asia Pacific region.

WWF welcomes new partnerships.

For further information on working

with us please contact WWF offices

in the Asia Pacific region or:

Dr Isabelle Louis

Director

Asia Pacific Programme

WWF International

237 Cantonment Road

Singapore 089767

Tel: + 65 6323 0100

Fax: + 65 6323 0179

Email: [email protected]

www.panda.org

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“With governments, organisations, andcompanies we canmake real progress in tackling hugeconservation issues.”

Through its new

publication (left)

WWF is showing

how the Indian

corporate sector

can rise to the

challenges of

sustainable trade.

WWF-AustraliaGPO Box 528Sydney NSW 2001 AustraliaT: +61 2 9281 5515 F: +61 2 9281 1060www.wwf.org.au

WWF-BhutanPost Box 210ThimphuBhutanT: +975 2 323528 F: +975 2 323518www.wwfbhutan.org.bt

WWF-China Wen Hua GongBeijing Working People’s Culture Palace (Ladong Renmin Wenhuagong Dongmen)Beijing 100006People’s Republic of ChinaT: +86 10 6522 7100 F: +86 10 6522 7300www.wwfchina.org

WWF-Greater Mekong IPO Box 151 HanoiVietnamT: +84 4 719 3049 F: + 84 4 719 3048www.panda.org/greatermekong

WWF-Hong KongGPO Box 12721Hong KongT: +852 2526 1011 F: +852 2845 2734www.wwf.org.hk

WWF-India172-B Lodi EstateNew Delhi 110 003IndiaT: +91 11 4150 4815F: +91 11 4150 4795www.wwfindia.org

WWF-IndonesiaPO Box 5020JKTM 12700JakartaIndonesiaT: +62 21 576 1070 F: +62 21 576 1080www.wwf.or.id

WWF-Japan3-1-14 ShibaMinato-kuTokyo 105-0014JapanT: +81 3 3769 1711 F: +81 3 3769 1717www.wwf.or.jp

WWF-Malaysia49, Jalan SS23/1547400 Petaling JayaSelangorMalaysiaT: +60 3 7803 3772 F: +60 3 7803 5157www.wwf.org.my

WWF-NepalPO Box 7660BaluwatarKathmandu 2NepalT: +977 1 4434 820

+977 1 4434 970 F: +977 1 4434 8458www.wwfnepal.org.np

WWF-New ZealandPO Box 6237WellingtonNew ZealandT: +64 4 499 2930 F: +64 4 499 2954www.wwf.org.nz

WWF-PakistanPO Box 518054600 LahorePakistanT: +92 42 586 23560 F: +92 42 586 2358www.wwfpak.org

WWF-Philippines4th Floor, JBD Plaza#65 Mindanao AvenueBagong Pag-asaQuezon City1105 PhilippinesT: +63 2 920 7923 F: +63 2 426 3927www.wwf.org.ph

WWF-Singapore237 Cantonment RoadSingapore 089767T: +65 6323 0100F: +65 6323 0179www.wwf.sg

WWF-South PacificPrivate Mail BagGPO SuvaFijiT: +679 331 5533 F: +679 331 5410www.wwfpacific.org.fj

WWF Offices in Asia Pacific

WWF-International Asia Pacific Programme237 Cantonment RoadSingapore 089767T: +65 6323 0100F: +65 6323 0179

Avenue du Mont BlancCH-1196 GlandSwitzerlandT: +41 22 364 9111 F: +41 22 364 6624

WWF is one of the world’s largest and most experienced independentconservation organizations, with almost 5 million supporters and a globalnetwork active in more than 100 countries.

WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environmentand 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.

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Written and researched by Christian Thompson and Torva Wilson, The Green RoomDesigned by The Design PodAdvisory by WWFCommunication Officers, Asia Pacific and WWF International Asia Pacific Programme

wwf’s global programme conservation in action: asia...

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