Saving nature is at the very heart of what we do as an Organization. For 10 years,
we have made it our mission to find solutions that save the marvelous array of life on our planet
by applying the best science available and working closely with local communities.
But our work is far from done.
Humans are behind the current rate of species extinction, which is at least
100–1,000 times higher than nature intended. We’ve seen an astonishing 60% decline in the
size of populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians in just over 40 years,
according to WWF's Living Planet Report 2018.
And the impacts will reach far beyond the potential cultural loss of iconic species like tigers, rhinos and whales.
The good news is we’ve also seen what’s working. WWF has been part of successful wildlife recovery stories ranging from southern Africa’s
black rhino to black bucks in the Himalayas. And this, in turn, is helping to protect rich and varied ecosystems while ensuring people continue to benefit from nature.
This much is clear: we cannot afford to fail in our mission to save a living planet.
Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.
A vulnerable species (VU) is a species which has been categorized by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature that is threatened with
extinction in the near future unless the circumstances that are threatening
its survival and reproduction improve.
Endangered species (ES) as classified by the IUCN,
are species which have been categorized as very likely to become extinct in the near future.
On the IUCN Red List, endangered is the second most severe conservation status for wild populations
in the IUCN's schema after Critically endangered (CR).
An IUCN Red List Critically Endangered (CR) species is one that has been categorized by the IUCN
as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
As of 2021, of the 120,372 species currently tracked by the IUCN, there are 6,811 species that are considered to be Critically Endangered.
