The pace of change in the past 60 years has been extraordinary.
The world’s human population has multiplied from 3 billion in 1960 to 7.8 billion in 2020; the global economy has expanded four-fold; and over 1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty. But human advancements have come at a devastating cost to nature.
This decade must be the turning point where we recognize the value of nature, place it on the path to recovery and transform our world to one where people, economies and nature thrive.
We are at the beginning of a critically important decade of action for nature - a period of ambitious, targeted actions that, together, will help to create a sustainable future for nature and people.
In this decade we need to halt and reverse nature loss measured from a baseline of 2020, by increasing the health, abundance, diversity and resilience of species, populations and ecosystems so that by 2030 nature is visibly and measurably on the path of recovery.
Accelerating impact
We know there are clear grounds for hope if we act now. There is momentum and people are expecting changes. In Kunming and at COP 26 in Glasgow, WWF made it clear that we need to come together and speed up our actions rapidly to cut emissions and help nature and people to adapt. But nothing will happen until we make it happen - actions must start now.
And with over 3000 live projects working in countries all over the world, WWF's actions have already started. We work targeting the species, places and issues that need critical attention, and where the effects of our work can have the greatest impact.
Here are some examples of how we are accelerating impact towards a nature-positive planet:
We are working with over 30 major cities around the world to stop plastic leaking into nature.
BUT...
Many urban areas, responsible for an estimated 60% of all ocean plastic pollution, have yet to take action.
TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE THIS.
We helped protect water flowing in 300 rivers across Mexico, safeguarding water supplies for nature and for 45 million people.
But...
Rivers across the world continue to be drained, dammed and diverted.
TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE THIS.
And with communities and government, we helped establish the world's largest tropical rainforest national park covering 4.3 million hectares of the Columbian Amazon.
But...
Around the world, we're still losing 10 million hectares of forest every year.
TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE THIS
We have backed community-based whale shark ecotourism in the Philippines for two decades, safeguarding both wildlife and livelihoods.
But...
Coastal communities and wildlife around the world face increasing challenges, from plastic pollution to the impact of COVID-19 on ecotourism.
TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE THIS.
It is time to raise the bar and achieve even more, to ensure that nature makes a full recovery by 2050.
