NGO - WWF

     The WWF or the World Wildlife Fund is non-profit NGO focused on the conservation and rehabilitation of wildlife around the world. They primarily look to help save endangered species and to stop habitat destruction, but even with those being main focuses of the organization they pledge to make a better world for all wildlife.

    The WWF was started in 1961, by UK citizen Victor Stolan, who was inspired by articles about the destruction of habitat and wildlife in East Africa. Alongside the Director General of British Government Agency of Nature Conservancy, Max Nicholson, they teamed up with a couple dozen other individuals to write up the framework for the organization, and establish the first three specific organizations in the UK, Switzerland, and the US. 

    Within the first couple of years of the organizations existence, it made great progress with its goals. To name just a few, the WWF helped to fund the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos islands, which helps to protect the fragile ecosystem within the islands. They also helped fund the College of African Wildlife Management, which helps to protect wildlife in some of the more volatile places within Africa. The WWF then continues to fund research and spend money on protecting endangered species such as Tigers and Birds. By the the mid 1970's, the WWF started to also focus on protecting habitats by creating and funding national parks and nature reserves throughout the world. Through the decades the organization focuses on expanding these practices throughout the world, creating a better and more promising world for the many animals we share our world with.

    I also want to look specifically at what the organization has done to help protect my favorite animal, which are tigers. They are mostly focusing on protecting the habitats of these animals, by creating reserves and trying to lobby against the destruction of these habitats. But one of my favorite things they have done is try to make these protections against Tigers not negatively effect the local indigenous populations that live in these areas. These people are directly involved in the planning of projects, allowing for them to not be effected by the projects, and the WWF helps to educate them on how to co-exist with Tigers and try to limit human-tiger interactions.