Legacy Supporter Annual Stewardship Report
A thriving planet is the greatest gift that we can pass on to future generations. By leaving WWF a gift in your Will, you’re helping to do that. And we are truly grateful for your generosity.
Our world protected by you
Thank you for committing to protect our world with a gift in your Will. In a tough year, we’ve relied more than ever on our amazing supporters. Your commitment will provide the lifeblood for our successes and keeps our vital voice for nature strong. We are so grateful for your support.
Progress has been hard-fought in a year when businesses and governments have been backsliding on commitments and actions for nature and the climate. And when the cost-of-living crisis places real pressure on our supporters. World leaders must step up to take action for nature and the climate. UK leadership remains important. And your support helps us keep the pressure on leaders in politics and business here and around the world to do the right thing for wildlife and wild places.
Together with WWF colleagues across the globe, we’ve used our reach and every ounce of our resolve to stand up for our precious natural world. And thanks to your support we’re on track to meet our ambitious targets to protect and restore many wild species and places. You can read about some of our proudest achievements from the past 12 months below, and watch an exclusive video from our colleague, Ranger Li Xinrui, who works in the Giant Panda National Park in China.
Conservation works: Giant Pandas
Giant Pandas are living proof that conservation works. WWF played a central role in early wild panda conservation and continues to support local communities, partners and the Chinese government to protect Panda habitats and ensure their long-term survival.
Watch an exclusive update about WWF’s impact on habitat and species conservation in the Wanglang Area Giant Panda National Park in China.
Your impact
If you were able to join us at one of our special supporter events that took place across the UK in 2025, thank you. One of the liveliest discussions held was around palm oil, its ubiquity and how to identify sustainable sources. Here’s a handy video guide.
A handful of successes
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© Lewis Jefferies / WWF-UKMore Recovering seagrass in Wales
Together with partners in Seagrass Network Cymru, we launched the Seagrass Action Plan – the UK’s first nationwide strategic, long-term plan for seagrass recovery. Up to 92% of the UK’s seagrass meadows have been lost, but restoring them captures carbon, reduces coastal erosion and flooding and provides a habitat for countless marine species. The Welsh government has backed the plan, committing £100,000 in extra funding to help vital seagrass habitats recover at sites from Holyhead to Pembrokeshire.
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© naturepl.com / Doug Allan / WWFMore Putting arctic whales on the map
We’ve created the first-ever map of migration superhighways to help keep whales safe. ‘Blue corridors’ connect the entire ocean, across national waters and into the high seas. But sea ice loss is resulting in more human activity in these remote waters, putting whales at risk of being struck by ships or disturbed by underwater noise. Our large-scale map highlights where important migration routes overlap with shipping lanes. This will help Arctic countries protect the vital routes.
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© Callum Bennetts - Maverick Photo Agency / WWF-ScotlandMore Flourishing forth
Restoration Forth has continued to make waves, winning the Coasts and Waters category of the Nature of Scotland Awards. This year, through the project we returned a further 10,000 European flat oysters to the Firth of Forth. We planted 64,000 more seagrass seeds, meaning we’ve now planted 210,000 seeds to restore vital seagrass meadows here. Oysters and seagrass both help to clean the water and stabilise the seabed. We’re working with local communities and organisations to help this important area flourish for the future.
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© Shane Gross / naturepl.com / WWFMore Tagging turtles in Fiji
We fitted critically endangered hawksbill turtles with satellite tags for the first time, at sites on three islands off the northern coast of Fiji. We worked with a network of community turtle guardians who combine traditional knowledge of turtles with the training and skills needed to monitor their status and health. The new satellite tags will give us vital data to build a picture of the turtles’ migration routes and feeding areas so we can better protect them, their food and their habitats.
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© Living Image / WWFMore Returning Tigers to central Asia
The return of tigers to the wild in central Asia came a step closer when two captive Amur tigers were moved to Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve in Kazakhstan. Tigers have been extinct in Kazakhstan for more than 70 years, but WWF is supporting a project to bring them back. Working with local communities and others, WWF has helped to reintroduce prey and restore forests. If the pair breed successfully, their offspring should be released into the wild. The goal is about 50 wild tigers here by 2035.
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© David Bebber / WWF-UKMore Learning from a new generation
We’re committed to supporting young people to use their vital voices for our world. This year we recruited two under-25s, Agno Kachappilly Shaiju and Aarushi Verma, to our Impact Committee – a diverse team of volunteers who help us shape and evaluate our science, public engagement and communication programmes. Agno and Aarushi have great experience in conservation and sustainability. They’ll engage with young people across the UK and help us reflect their views.
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© WWF-UKMore Monitoring krill from space
We launched Krill from Space, a groundbreaking project, with the University of Strathclyde and British Antarctic Survey. Krill are central to the Antarctic food chain, and transfer vast quantities of carbon to the seabed. But as temperatures rise, their populations are shrinking and shifting. Krill from Space uses satellite data, and compares light patterns, to monitor changes and improve understanding about krill numbers and distribution. This information could help us advocate for more sustainable krill fisheries.
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© Christophe Courteau / FranceMore Recording new species in the Congo basin
An incredible 742 species have been newly recorded in the Congo Basin – a nature hotspot that absorbs more carbon than the Amazon. Among the findings are a slender-snouted crocodile, clawed frogs and a monkey known locally as the ‘lesula’. A new WWF report documents the findings made in the 10 years to 2023. It highlights the region’s remarkable biodiversity and the urgent need to safeguard it. We’re supporting efforts to identify and protect the most important areas.
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More ways that you helped make a difference last year
Despite the perilous threats that our planet faces, we’re full of hope for the future. We know what can be achieved when people come together to protect and restore our world.
Thanks to supporters like you, we know we can do even more in the years to come.
Thank you
If you have any questions about your gift in your Will, our work, or anything else on this webpage, we are available to help. Please don’t hesitate to contact Grace or Ella on 01483 412153 or email us at stewardship@wwf.org.uk.