The World Wide Fund (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment.  It is the world’s largest independent conservation organization with over 5 million supporters worldwide, working in more than 100 countries, supporting around 1,300 conservation and environmental projects.   The central secretariat, WWF International – is now located in Gland, Switzerland.  The role of the central secretariat is to coordinate the WWF Network of offices around the world, by developing policies, fostering global partnerships, coordinating international campaigns to help make the organization run smoothly.  WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and 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.

WWF was called World Wildlife Fund when it was founded.   It was renamed in 1986 to World Wide Fund for Nature in all countries except USA and Canada where it continues to be called the World Wildlife Fund.  The organization has offices in more than 80 countries around the world.  The WWF office in US is in Washington DC.