WWF - World Wildlife Fund
WWF came into existence on 29 April 1961, when a small group of passionate and committed individuals signed a declaration that came to be known as the Morges Manifesto.
This apparently simple act laid the foundations for one what has grown into the world's largest independent conservation organization.50 years on, the black and white panda is a well known household symbol in many countries. And the organization itself is lucky enough to have won the backing of more than 5 million people throughout the world, and can count the actions taken by people in support of its efforts into the billions.
WWF has been active in China since 1980, when Dr. George Schaller arrived to work with Chinese scientists on field studies of the behavior and ecology of the giant panda. As the first international conservation organization invited to work in China, WWF faced not only the problems of carrying out field research in the panda's rugged, inaccessible mountain home, but also the cultural and political challenges of engaging in international cooperation in the early days of China's opening to the outside world.
In addition to panda conservation, WWF worked in several other areas during its first fifteen years in China. The last PereDavid's deer in China were slaughtered in the early part of this century, but a small herd survived in captivity in England, on the estate of the Rothschild family. In the late 1980s, WWF assisted in arranging the re-establishment of a captive population of this species in China, and there are now two large captive herds and discussions of re-introduction into the wild.