WWF of Russia

History

2023: Listing foreign agents

In March 2023, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation included the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in the list of foreign agents. The organization, under the guise of environmental activities, tried to influence the internal policy of Russia and prevented the implementation of industrial and infrastructure projects.

For example, WWF promoted the idea of ​ ​ creating a buffer zone along the country's Arctic coast, which could weaken Russia's defense capability.

2015

In the winter of 2014-2015, a large-scale accounting of the Amur tiger was carried out in the Far East of Russia. As the accounting showed, the number of predators has stabilized, and in those areas where the WWF works, it has even grown.

In the Far East, the Bikin National Park has been created, thanks to which intact cedar-broad-leaved forests will be protected. A significant part of the Amur tiger population lives on an area of ​ ​ 1.16 million hectares.

A ban on the extraction of salmon by drifter (floating) nets in the exclusive economic zone of Russia has been introduced. This is a great victory for everyone who advocates the preservation and sustainable use of aquatic biological resources of the Far East.

In December 2015, a new UN climate agreement was adopted in Paris. The agreement will allow Russia to carry out projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, preserve forests, adapt the most vulnerable regions, ecosystems and groups of the population to negative climate phenomena.

Russian fishermen received the first international certificates of environmentally responsible fishing (MSC).

WWF's global action "Earth Hour" has become the most massive public action in the history of Russia and the whole world.

2014

In 2014, three more cubs were born at the Center for Breeding and Rehabilitation of the Non-Asian Leopard in Sochi National Park, and now there are 13 animals, including 8 kittens. It is the kittens who will begin the free population of the leopard in the Russian Caucasus.

The population of Altai mountain sheep living in the border regions of Russia and Mongolia increased by 82% in two years. These are the results of accounting for the size of this rare species, carried out with the support of WWF Russia.

Mongolian oak and Manchu ash are included in Annex III of the Convention on International Trade in Threatened Species (CITES). Now these valuable tree species can be exported only after confirmation of the legality of their cutting.

The Russian government has adopted a national plan to combat illegal ("illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU)") fishing. Work on this document has been going on for more than one year, and WWF specialists took an active part in it.

WWF, together with the Global Environmental Footprint Network, for the first time measured the "eco" and natural potential of Russian regions. Teplokom Holding was a partner in this study. It turned out that Russia is one of the few countries that, with reasonable use of natural resources, will be able to secure their stable reserves for decades to come.

The amendments made to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and toughened the punishment for illegal extraction, trafficking and smuggling of especially valuable animals came into force. In 2014, in the Primorsky Territory, for the first time, a real term was determined for illegal hunting of an Amur tiger to a poacher - 2 years 5 months in prison with serving a sentence in a strict regime correctional colony and a fine of 726.5 thousand rubles. WWF specialists acted as forensic experts during the investigation of this and other similar crimes.

2013

The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation has made important changes that toughen the punishment for illegal extraction, trafficking and smuggling of especially valuable animals.

Four kittens of an Asian leopard were born at the Sochi National Park Breeding and Rehabilitation Center. Three of them will become the founders of the free leopard population in the North Caucasus.

WWF brought 10 bison to Karachay-Cherkessiyuy10: they gave the first offspring and united with wild relatives in the Teberdinsky reserve. The state of the species population in the Russian Caucasus has improved, and today 90 wild bison live there.

According to the accounting of traces of the Far Eastern leopard, conducted in the winter of 2013, the number of this rarest species increased 1.5 times and is less than 50 individuals.

In the Khabarovsk Territory, the Shantar Islands National Park with an area of ​ ​ 515.5 thousand hectares was created. It will become one of the pearls of the "Pacific necklace" of Russia.

2012

In the Altai Republic, in the valley of the Argut River, for the first time, photographic evidence of the habitat of the snow leopard was obtained. Camera traps purchased with funds from WWF supporters and partner organizations have "caught" two predators, and experts now have the opportunity to observe their lives and movements.

For the first time in five years, the population of the Amur tiger in the Primorsky Territory has stabilized: today about 500 animals live here.

In the Primorsky Territory, the national park "Land of the Leopard" and the state reserve "Sredneussuriysky" were created, in Chukotka - the national park "Beringia," and in Dagestan - the natural park "Itsari."

WWF and RIA Novosti published the first ecological and economic index of regions in Russia. WWF expects that it will become the basis for assessing the quality and "environmental friendliness" of our country's development.

Russia has passed a law to protect the seas from oil pollution, taking into account most of the key provisions that WWF insisted on.

2011

The provisions necessary for effective forest protection have been restored in Russian legislation. The development of the National Forest Policy has begun.

576 thousand cedars were planted by volunteers in the Primorsky Territory: the WWF campaign of Russia and Citibank became the largest action to restore forests in the habitats of the Far Eastern leopard.

28 thousand people signed a WWF appeal to Prime Minister V.V. Putin with a call to ban deforestation in the Bikin River Valley in the Primorsky Territory and defended the fate of the Russian Amazon.

2010

On the initiative, with the active support and participation of WWF, the International Forum on Tiger Conservation was held in St. Petersburg. 13 states have adopted a species rescue program. Russian Prime Minister V.V. Putin supported all the measures proposed by WWF to protect the Amur tiger.

A complete ban on the cutting of Korean cedar has been introduced.

Thanks to the long-term campaign of WWF and other public organizations, the project for the construction of the Evenki hydroelectric power station, which is dangerous for nature, has been stopped.

2009

With the participation of WWF, the Russian Arctic National Park was created. This first Arctic national park in Russia took under the protection of walruses, polar bears, as well as bird bazaars, glaciers, unique hydrological objects.

2008

In Sochi National Park, the Center for Breeding and Rehabilitation of the Near Asian Leopard has opened. Animals brought here in 2009-2012 from Turkmenistan, Iran and the Lisbon Zoo will become the founders of future free generations of leopards in the Russian Caucasus.

2007

In the Far East, national parks have been created - "Call of the Tiger," "Udegey Legend" and "Anyuisky." WWF, in collaboration with other environmental organizations, has been pursuing this for several years.

Retail trade in sturgeon caviar is completely prohibited. This is the first and necessary step to stop poaching and prevent sturgeon from dying.

The first group of the WWF Bear Patrol was created to preserve polar bears and prevent conflict between humans and a rare predator in the Russian Arctic.

2006

The victory ended the nationwide campaign in defense of Lake Baikal and Perevoznaya Bay in the Far East from the construction of the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline. The threat to unique ecosystems has passed.

Russia has reached the second place in the world after Canada in terms of the area of ​ ​ forest territories certified according to international standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This guarantees the preservation of ecosystems, social and protective functions of forests in industrial logging.

2005

Russia presented the jubilee, hundredth, "Gift to the Earth" as part of the international campaign "Living Planet": on the initiative of WWF, the Ergaki Nature Park was created in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

In the Altai Republic, the natural park "Ukok Rest Zone" has been created.

2004

WWF of Russia launched educational work on the need to ratify the Kyoto Protocol - a world agreement on action to prevent climate change. The State Duma of the Russian Federation ratified the Protocol.

2003

WWF launched a campaign to change forest legislation and opposed the adoption of amendments to the Forest Code that did not take into account the opinion of environmentalists and the public.

In the Far East, the WWF program has begun to preserve the freshwater ecosystems of the Amur River basin.

2002

The All-Russian WWF program to combat illegal logging has begun. The violations uncovered by WWF experts forced the Rosleshoz leadership to take measures to combat forest poaching.

2001

WWF launched a campaign to protect the gray whale population on Sakhalin, which was threatened by oil production. The route of the Sakhalin-2 underwater pipeline has been changed and has passed the whale feeding area.

WWF Russia has its first supporters - citizens who regularly provide financial support to the Fund's projects. Today WWF is supported by over 17 thousand Russians.

2000

In response to the abolition of the State Committee on Ecology, WWF and other public organizations collected more than three million signatures for holding an all-Russian referendum and restoring environmental control in the country.

The first Russian wood companies received international certificates of sustainable forest management (FSC).

1999

The Pskov Model Forest project has started. As a result, a forest management model has been developed that allows you to grow highly productive forest, make large profits and at the same time preserve the habitats of animals and plants.

1998

A program to save the Far Eastern leopard has begun: at the initiative of WWF, a state strategy for the conservation of the species has been developed and approved, existing areas have been supported and new protected areas have been created.

The Altai-Sayan Initiative for the Next Millennium has been developed - a document on the interaction of states to preserve nature, which was signed by the heads of all subjects of the region.

1997

WWF of Russia joined the international WWF program "Living Planet." The head of the republic Sakha (Yakutia) presented a "gift to the Earth" - announced the creation of a system of protected natural areas in the republic. His initiative was continued by the leaders of ten more regions of Russia.

1996

A project has started to return bison to the wild. Today, about 400 purebred animals freely graze in the forests of the European part of Russia. Work has also begun in the North Caucasus: now there are already about 90 free-living bison in the region.

1995

In the South Kamchatka reserve, poaching of salmon and brown bear has been practically eliminated. A methodology for accounting for brown bears in Kamchatka has been developed. To date, their number is about 18 thousand.

Work began in Central Asia. Over 20 years, five countries have created an effective, constantly developing network of specially protected natural areas and ecological corridors - "Econet."

1994: Creation of the company

WWF of Russia began work to support existing and create new protected areas. In total, over the years of work with the participation of WWF, more than 120 specially protected natural areas have been created with a total area of ​ ​ over 42.5 million hectares.

Projects to protect the Amur tiger will start in the Far East.

The first WWF projects in Russia began in 1988, and in 1994 the Russian representative office of WWF opened. In 2004, WWF of Russia became a Russian national organization. Over 20 years, the Fund has successfully implemented more than 300 field projects in 47 regions of Russia and invested over 70 million euros in the preservation and enhancement of the country's natural resources. Here are just some of our successes, year after year.