Conservation efforts are needed for threatened species whose survival cannot be guaranteed by conserving their habitat alone.
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- Species
- Albatross
- Antelope - Saiga
- Antelope - Tibetan
- Argali (wild sheep)
- Cacti
- Cichlids (East African)
- Cod
- Coral
- Cork Oak
- Elephants
- Ginseng
- Great Apes
- Korean Cedar Pine
- Leopard - Amur
- Leopard - Clouded
- Leopard - Snow
- Mahogany - Bigleaf
- Paddlefish
- Panda - Giant
- Polar Bear
- Pollock - Alaskan
- Ramin
- Rhinos
- Rock Wallaby
- Salmon
- Sharks - Pelagic
- Sharks - Reef
- Sturgeon
- Swordfish & Billfish
- Teak - African
- Tigers
- Tortoises & Freshwater Turtles (Asian)
- Tree Kangaroo
- Tuna
- Turtles - Marine
- Whales & Dolphins
- Wrasse - Humphead
- Species
- What We Do
Priority & endangered species
Whales, dolphins & porpoises
There are over 80 species of cetaceans, a group made up of whales, dolphins and porpoises. Despite many protections including a moratorium on whaling since 1986, many species of cetaceans continue to be threatened – with some on the verge of extinction.The majority of WWF's global conservation work to protect whales and dolphins takes place within the context of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). It is here that we address the ongoing threat of whaling along with other threats such as climate change and bycatch.
WWF is focusing efforts on a select group of priority species that are especially important, either for their ecosystem...
- Species forming a key element of the food chain
- Species which help the stability or regeneration of habitats
- Species demonstrating broader conservation needs
...or for people
- Species important for the health and livelihoods of local communities
- Species exploited commercially
- Species that are important cultural icons.
- Flagship species – iconic animals that provide a focus for raising awareness and stimulating action and funding for broader conservation efforts
- Footprint-impacted species – species whose populations are primarily threatened because of unsustainable hunting, logging or fishing.
- WWF's Strategic Plan for Conservation 1.12 MB pdf
2020 Species Goal
By 2020, populations of the most ecologically, economically and culturally important species are restored and thriving in the wild.
Species are threatened in every habitat on every continent
In the time is takes you to read this page, one of our planet’s unique species will become extinct. By this time tomorrow, a further 150–200 will have disappeared forever. And by this time next year, over 50,000 more.
This alarming rate of extinction is 100-1,000 times, and perhaps even 11,000 times, greater than the expected natural rate.
One in four of the world’s mammals are now threatened with extinction in the near future. So are one in eight birds, one in five sharks, one in four coniferous trees, and one in three amphibians.
By and large, the cause of this decline is human activities. The land we use for living space, food, clothing, housing, fuel; the things we buy; and the waste we produce – all this contributes to the main causes of species loss:
- Habitat loss
- Unsustainable trade
- Bycatch
- Climate change
- Invasive species
- Pollution
- Human-animal conflict
Flagship species
Iconic animals that provide a focus for raising awareness and stimulating action and funding for broader conservation efforts.
Iconic animals that provide a focus for raising awareness and stimulating action and funding for broader conservation efforts.
Footprint-impacted species
Species whose populations are primarily threatened because of unsustainable hunting, logging or fishing.
Species whose populations are primarily threatened because of unsustainable hunting, logging or fishing.
| Flagship species | Footprint-impacted species | |
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Why cactus and cod?
The plight of polar bears, pandas, and other large iconic mammals is generally well known, at least in industrialized countries.But most people don't stop to consider whether the fish they eat, the house plants they buy, or the herbal tea they drink comes from a threatened species, or whether taking it from the wild harmed its habitat or another species.
Most people also don't realize that hundreds of millions of plants and animals are harvested from the wild each year, from thousands of species.
We want to make sure that cacti, cod, and all other species involved in wildlife trade are harvested sustainably and in a way that doesn't hurt other species or their wider ecosystem.
