2018 Annual Report
Impatient for change Technology and innovation have long been a part of WWF’s work. In 1973, WWF granted $38,000 to the Smithsonian Institution to study the tiger population of Nepal’s Chitwan National Park, allowing scientists to successfully use radio tracking devices for the first time. This represented cuttingedge technology when it happened and was celebrated as such. Today, we use camera traps to record tiger— and elephant, and rhino, and more—movements, and the data collected informs nationwide tiger censuses in Nepal, Bhutan, and elsewhere.
President & Ceo Carter Roberts
The early innovation used in Chitwan led to the systems that today allow us to move closer to our goal of doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022. In a 1984 New York Times editorial, WWF vice president Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy set forth the concept of “debt-fornature swaps”—trading debt reduction in developing countries for their protection of the environment. It was an innovative idea that quickly caught on and persists today. More than $2.6 billion in debt has been restructured through debtfor-nature swaps, resulting in upwards of $1.2 billion in conservation funding globally. Google is one of our key tech partners. Several years ago, we received $5 million through their Global Impact Award program. Through this grant, Google sought to encourage us to adopt a more fast-moving, prototyping, entrepreneurial approach to solving a vexing problem at hand—in this case, wildlife crime. This sparked trial and error and experimentation, and freed us from the stress of finding the perfect solution within. a tight window of time lest we lose much-needed support. It also encouraged the spread of the same mindset in our work. We used the grant to fund the Wildlife Crime Technology Project, a platform to create and test innovative technologies aimed at changing the course of the global fight against wildlife crime. While an initial focus was on piloting the use and integration of several technologies (including drones) in Namibia, it became clear following the project’s initial phase that we needed to adapt our approach. We pivoted from a top-down, technology-driven approach to a bottomup, problem-driven approach that led to the serial testing, evolution, and adaptation of different solutions to the poaching crisis. At WWF, we now plan, iterate, and catalyze change just like breathing air, and always in collaboration with our partners on the ground. And since so much of what we do involves working with communities around the world—from the Amazon to the Irrawaddy Delta—to secure or develop the tools they need to save landscapes and species and improve livelihoods, we build our technological innovations in collaboration with end users—from the field to the lab, from the ground up.
2018 Highlights
Supporters dig deep to stop elephant poaching
Cambodia plans to reintroduce tigers
Hong Kong ivory ban is now law
Mountain Gorilla Numbers SURPASS 1,000
Trailblazing declaration protects the Pantanal
New protections for the Belize Barrier Reef
July | Responding to an elephant poaching crisis in Myanmar, WWF trained 45 field rangers in law enforcement and intelligence gathering, and purchased patrol vehicles, uniforms, and equipment. This quick action was made possible thanks to thousands of supporters who, in less than fourweeks, donated $263,211 to an emergency campaign.
August | Cambodia’s prime minister endorsed a plan to reintroduce wild tigers to northeastern Cambodia. The endorsement signals the government’s commitment to work with WWF to protect tiger habitat, increase enforcement against poaching and illegal logging, restore prey species, and work with local communities.
January | After years of advocacy by WWF—and just one month after the China ivory ban—Hong Kong’s Legislative Council committed to completely banning domestic ivory sales by 2021, and to increasing the maximum penalty for wildlife crime to 10 years in prison.
May | With the release of a survey conducted in the Virunga Mountains, the global population estimate for wild mountain gorillas increased to more than 1,000. This makes the mountain gorilla the only great ape in the wild with an increasing population. Through a number of efforts, WWF works to protect the forests the gorillas call home.
March | With WWF’s support, ministers from Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay signed a trinational declaration to protect the Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland. The agreement ensures sustainable social and economic development and reaffirms the human rights of the indigenous and traditional populations within the region.
June | The World Heritage Committee removed the Belize Barrier Reef from UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in danger. WWF worked with the Belize government to help put in place several pieces of legislation and regulations to protect the World Heritage Site, culminating in the recently adopted moratorium on oil exploration in Belize’s waters.
FORENSICS FOR FORESTS Many wood species look identical to the naked eye, especially in the case of finished wood products. Unfortunately, this means that certain wood products entering the US—one of the world’s biggest wood importers—are illegal, and that a few enter the country under false species claims. But with forensic wood anatomy, a powerful magnifying lens allows scientists to spot distinguishing details at the cellular level. At the US Forest Service Forest Products Lab, scientists use magnification to compare the anatomical structure of wood samples with species in reference libraries to determine the accuracy of species claims. In 2017, WWF provided the lab with 183 specimens from 73 wood products sold online in the US. The scientists are now using wood anatomy testing to verify the accuracy of species labeling. The project—CSI for Trees aims to enlighten companies about the mislabeling of wood products and help them avoid bringing illegal wood products into the US.
TWO TECHNOLOGIES BOOST SEAFOOD TRADE TRANSPARENCY The fishing industry supports hundreds of millions of jobs worldwide, and billions of people get their protein from the sea. But one-third of fisheries worldwide have been pushed beyond their limits, and the blackmarket fish trade—worth more than $36 billion every year—is further straining those precious resources. To turn the crisis around, WWF has been collaborating on the development of technologies that increase transparency in the fishing industry. An online tool named “Detect IT: Fish” uses big data to spot discrepancies in reported import and export data, which could be indicators of illegal activity. Launched in November 2017 by WWF and TRAFFIC, and powered by HPE Vertica, Detect IT: Fish helps authorities more efficiently deploy their limited resources for investigations. In the Pacific, WWF is working with industry partners to pilot the application of blockchain technology to trace tuna from origin to sale. Blockchain’s virtually tamperproof digital records supply the market withinformation that can engender greater trust in a product’s origin.
SECURING WATER FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS While most countries deal with water crises when they arise, on June 5th Mexico took the long view by establishing 300 new water reserves. This system— which WWF played an instrumental role in developing—sets aside 55% of the country’s surface water, ensuring water supplies for 45 million people over the next 50 years and positively impacting several river basins. This includes the Usumacinta, one of Mexico’s last freeflowing rivers, which snakes through almost 600 miles of southern Mexico, supporting an array of plant and animal species, including jaguars. Now, 95% of the river’s volume is allocated to nature. To demonstrate the value of all rivers, WWF also developed an augmented reality app. Released in March 2018, the WWF Free Rivers app uses a virtual landscape and interactive storytelling to show users how people, wildlife, and landscapes depend on healthy, free-flowing rivers. The app has been downloaded over a half million times.
Board Of Directors CHAIRMAN Neville Isdell Former Chairman & CEO The Coca-Cola Company, Inc. Atlanta, GA
SECRETARY Shelly Lazarus Chairman Emeritus Ogilvy New York, NY
VICE CHAIRS Urs Hölzle Senior Vice President Technical Infrastructure & Google Fellow Google Mountain View, CA
Virginia Busch Executive Director Endangered Wolf Center St. Louis, MO
Tammy Crown Portola Valley, CA Pamela Matson Goldman Professor of Environmental Studies Stanford University Stanford, CA
PRESIDENT Carter Roberts President & CEO World Wildlife Fund Washington, DC
TREASURER Stephen J. Luczo Executive Chairman Seagate Technology Cupertino, CA
Leonardo DiCaprio Founder Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Los Angeles, CA
Christopher B. Field Director Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment Stanford, CA
Matthew Harris Founding Partner Global Infrastructure Partners New York, NY
Brenda S. Davis Bozeman, MT Yolanda Kakabadse Quito, Ecuador Ruth DeFries Professor of Ecology and Sustainable Development Columbia University New York, NY
Jared Diamond Professor of Geography UCLA Los Angeles, CA
Lawrence H. Linden Founder & Trustee Linden Trust for Conservation New York, NY
Robert Litterman Founding Partner Kepos Capital New York, NY
Elizabeth L. Littlefield Senior Counselor Albright Stonebridge Group Washington, DC
Vincent S. Perez Jr. Former Philippine Energy Secretary Chairman, Alternergy Manila, Philippines
Mayari Pritzker Chicago, IL
John Sall Co-founder & Executive Vice President SAS Institute Cary, NC
Roger W. Sant Chairman Emeritus & Co-founder The AES Corporation Washington, DC
Wang Shi Founder & Honorary Chairman China Vanke Co., Ltd. Shenzhen, China
Sharon Jones Youngblood Dallas, TX
CHAIRMAN EMERITUS William K. Reilly San Francisco, CA
DIRECTORS EMERITI Bruce Babbitt President Raintree Ventures Washington, DC
Edward P. Bass Founding Trustee Philecology Trust and Philecology Foundation Fort Worth, TX
Marshall Field Chairman The Field Corporation Chicago, IL
Kathryn S. Fuller Washington, DC
Adrienne Mars Mars Foundation Jackson, WY Gordon Orians Professor Emeritus, Biology University of Washington Seattle, WA
Anne P. Sidamon-Eristoff Chairwoman Emerita American Museum of Natural History New York, NY As of September 2018
WWF LEADERSHIP Carter Roberts President & CEO
Paul Hardy Chief of Staff
Marcia Marsh Chief Operating Officer
Ginette Hemley Senior Vice President Wildlife Conservation
Margaret Ackerley Senior Vice President and General Counsel Nik Sekhran Chief Conservation Officer Brad Ack Senior Vice President Oceans Michael Bauer Chief Financial Officer
Melissa Ho Vice President Freshwater Lou Leonard Senior Vice President Climate and Energy Terry Macko Senior Vice President Marketing and Communications
Valerie Blain-Smith Vice President Human Resources
David McCauley Senior Vice President Policy and Government Affairs
Sheila Bonini Senior Vice President Private Sector Engagement
Julie Miller Senior Vice President Development and Board Relations
Kerry Cesareo Vice President Forests
Rebecca Shaw Chief Scientist and Senior Vice President
Jason Clay Senior Vice President Markets and Food
As of June 30, 2018
Operating Revenue Growth
5%
5%
5% 35%
10% 14% 26%
Revenues
2018 TOTAL
2017 TOTAL
Non-operating activities
2018 TOTAL
2017 TOTAL
Contributions utilized¹
$183,904,059
$168,300,178
Bequests and endowments
$23,565,969
$17,958,266
Government grants and contracts
46,811,542
57,929,779
Income from long-term investments
16,308,805
32,414,298
WWF Network revenues
18,904,606
15,971,694
Unrealized gain (loss) on financing transactions²
3,574,086
5,393,968
In-kind and other revenues
85,947,028
78,367,752
Gain (loss) from foreign currency
(493,568)
(110,282)
Total unrestricted revenues, gains, and support
335,567,235
320,569,403
(31,420,797)
(30,744,617)
Pledges and contributions
55,326,680
40,011,689
Prior years’ revenues used in current year
(51,340,306)
(53,608,095)
Total non-operating Activities & Pledges
15,520,869
11,315,227
Increase (decrease) in net assets
14,903,230
11,611,826
Net assets at beginning of year
348,168,752
336,556,926
Net assets at end of year
363,071,982
348,168,752
Non-operating funds utilized
FY18 Operating Revenues Individuals
$117,956,070
In-kind and other
85,947,028
Government grants
6,811,542
Foundations
33,449,150
Network
18,904,606
Corporations
16,114,333
Other non-operating contributions
16,384,506
Pledges designated for future years
Expenses Program expenses: Conservation field and policy programs
180,352,323
177,356,681
Public education
101,225,789
93,400,728
Total program expenses
281,578,112
270,757,409
Supporting services expenses:
5% 11%
84 %
Finance and administration
17,607,286
15,040,749
Fundraising
36,999,476
34,474,646
Total supporting services expenses
54,606,762
49,515,395
TOTAL EXPENSES
336,184,874
320,272,804
(617,639)
296,599
Current year operating revenues over operating expenses
FY18 Total Expenses FY18 was an exciting year for conservation, from the launch of the Global Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking
¹ Contributions utilized in 2018 includes current year contributions of $101,142,956, prior years’ contributions of $51,340,306, and non-operating
Program expenses
$281,578,112
Online to Mexico’s creation of 300 water reserves to protect its freshwater for future generations. WWF
income of $31,420,797.
Finance and administration Fundraising
17,607,286
delivered strong results in our environmental work around the world—and none of that progress would have
² In 2001, WWF issued bonds to finance the purchase of the building housing its offices. Subsequently, it entered into various financial transactions
36,999,476
happened without the continued support of our donors. Your commitment to WWF inspires us to push even
to fix the interest rate on all variable rate bonds. These transactions result in either an unrealized gain or loss year to year as market interest rates
harder. Thank you for making these conservation milestones possible, this year and every year.
vary above or below the fixed rate obtained in the transactions. WWF’s FY18 financial performance remained steady, with total revenue and support at $335.6 million. WWF’s programmatic spending represented 84% of total expenses, fundraising made up 11%, and finance and administration
Michael Bauer Chief Financial Officer
accounted for a modest 5%. Total net assets increased over FY17 to $363.3 million.
Program Spending Growth
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