In a win for wild tigers, the US Senate passes major legislation against wildlife crime
The US Senate passed legislation that will help prevent captive tigers from ending up in the illegal trade of their parts and products—a primary threat to big cats in the wild. The Big Cat Public Safety Act now goes to President Biden to sign. The bill will also help ensure the welfare of captive big cats and public safety by requiring facilities to obtain a federal permit for big cat ownership. Through these actions, we will have more information on who owns them, when they’re sold or traded, and what happens to their parts when they die. Nearly 690,000 WWF-US activists have sent messages to Congress championing tighter regulations and stronger protections for captive tigers.
Four years of successful work for WWF’s Elephant Ivory Initiative
This past June, WWF’s elephant ivory initiative came to an end after more than four years of successful work focused on shutting down Asia’s elephant ivory markets. The initiative was built on the game-changing decision by China in 2017 to shutter its domestic market for elephant ivory. To seize the opportunity offered by the ivory ban, WWF launched a global initiative to close ivory markets in Asia and reduce the demand for ivory among Chinese consumers. The initiative involved two tightly linked and mutually reinforcing approaches, focusing on reducing consumer demand and on policy engagement to strengthen laws and law enforcement. WWF was one of the key architects, part of a collective drive alongside non-governmental organizations, governments, businesses, and other global partners.
WWF and HP accelerate forest protection, management, and restoration in key landscapes in Australia, Brazil, and Peru
As a part of WWF and HP Inc.’s expanded forest conservation partnership to help protect, restore, and improve the management of nearly 1 million acres of forest, our collaboration will accelerate forest protection and restoration efforts in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, a global biodiversity hot spot and home to some of the last jaguar populations on Earth. We will also accelerate conservation efforts in two new landscapes: Madre de Dios in Peru, near the headwaters of the Amazon River basin, and the forests of eastern Australia, home to endangered koalas and other species that have been severely impacted by recent wildfires. Work in these three critical landscapes totals nearly 450,000 acres.
