Below is the transcript of the interview conducted with a representative from the World Wildlife Foundation. The transcript has been condensed and edited for clarity purposes only.
Q: Why was the World Wildlife Fund founded and what are some of its goals?
A: The World Wildlife Fund was founded toward our goal to create a future where nature and people will thrive together. I think that one of the most common misconceptions people have about the organization is that all of our work is strictly focused on the animals, and while a lot of work we do is very much focused on wild life, there is a lot more that goes into it. We do a lot of work with the environment, habitats, and communities around the world because, what we hope for and strive for is looking at a future where humans and nature can live together in harmony. There is a lot that goes into it, so we do much more than work with animals.
Q: Are there any specific projects that the WWF if currently working on to address the issue of endangerment?
A: Our organization is broke into what we call goal teams, and there are six primary goal teams that focus on different areas of the world and different issues. So we have an ocean team, a forest team, a freshwater team, a wildlife team, a food team, and a climate team. Those are the six big goal teams, and there are a lot of people that work in each of those teams. We could have numerous projects going on at once, and there could be people in different places all over the world doing different things. Right now, as I am sure you are aware, there is a lot of talk going around about the Endangered Species Act, which incorporates all goal teams. Many times, that is the case, where there will be a project that allows all goal teams to work together. Although a lot of work is done within each team, there are a lot of projects that require the collaboration of a lot of people who work here. Climate is another big ongoing issue, and there is a big summit coming up next month. That has been a project that a lot of people here are working on as well. At any given moment, there are probably 50 projects that our staff are juggling across the world, so it just depends. But like I said, a lot of people collaborate on each project.
Q: Do you think current environmental policies are sufficient enough to keep animals from becoming endangered while preserving wildlife?
A: I think one of the things that we hope to achieve as an organization is to not only protect the Endangered Species Act, but we would also ideally like to see more people understand it. I think one of the biggest issues with things that end up in politics, is that people have a hard time getting involved if they don’t understand something. So that is one of those things that I know a lot of people within my communications team are working on, is really striving to boil information down and make it so that is more digestible for people. As a result, they will get involved and will pick a stand because they understand it better.
Q: What are ways students can help preserve wildlife life and do something about this?
A: The work that I do is with education. We have a couple of different areas that are focused on education work, so we focus on spanning multiple age levels. Me specifically, I do a lot of my work with younger generations. But we do have a team that is building more advocacy with high school and college level students as well. What is interesting is that whenever people ask the question of what can I do to help, probably the number one answer that I hear all the time from people here is to just simply talk about it. The biggest way to raise awareness is to keep the conversation going, so talking about conservation issues is the biggest way to increase action. I heard of high schoolers starting clubs at their schools, which is an excellent start by engaging your community. Everyday actions can be taken too. Another big push is minimizing food waste, which is a big issue. A lot of people here work to get schools, restaurants, and hotels to minimize the amount of food they throw out everyday because it has a huge impact on the environment. Just small changes: not throwing food away, reusing leftovers, encouraging people within your circle at school or home to engage in those actions. There is also the big push to minimize plastic use nowadays too. Just eliminating straws, plastic bags, or anything like that is a simple action that you can do and spreading the word about it can make a huge difference. We also have a peer to peer fundraising platform called Panda Nation, which is also great because it gives people the opportunity to spread the word themselves and raise awareness. I call it the WWF GoFundMe because it is all online and you can create your own fundraiser. Keeping the conservation open, letting people know, watching the amount of food and water you waste, energy use, turning off lights if no one is in the room, lowering the thermostat when you leave the house, and other little actions that you can get into the habit of doing while sharing those habits with other people can make a huge difference.
Q: What are some reasons why these animals are becoming endangered?
A: I would say a lot of it is increasing population numbers. As people in communities expand, the communities are encroaching on natural habitats. They are using animal habitats for their own benefit and purpose. Also, there is a lack of knowledge about the subject and an understanding of the impact. That’s again where the whole “the more you can spread the word, the better” comes into play. People are not intentionally setting out to harm wildlife or the environment, but they just don’t understand the impact of their actions. In every area of the world and every animal we talk about, it could be a different situation. But a lot of it has to do with habitat loss and with wildlife, in particular, poaching is still a big issue. A lot of the work we do here has to do with tigers, elephants, rhinos, and other animals still at risk of poaching in certain parts of the world. Again, we try to raise awareness and understand why people poach to redirect the behavior to something that is much less harmful to the environment and more sustainable. So if there is a particular reason why they are poaching these animals, we are looking to understand that reason and then try to move them away from it.
Q: What are some common misconceptions the general public have about endangered animals?
A: One thing is people understanding the importance of biodiversity. Maybe people out there know or hear of endangered animals, but they do not understand the full domino effect and how losing an animal can directly impact the ecosystem. So again, the awareness and education factor helps people that are not aware of each organism’s significance. Climate is a big misconception. A lot of people misunderstand and think that just because they do not see something happening right in front of them, that means there is no issue. Trying to bring awareness to the fact that although something might not be happening in front of your face, but it is happening and should be something that we should contribute too.
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