The WWF is run at a local level by the following offices...
- WWF Global
- Adria
- Argentina
- Armenia
- AsiaPacific
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belgium
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Borneo
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Caucasus
- Central African Republic
- Central America
- Central Asia
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Croatia
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Denmark
- Ecuador
- European Policy Office
- Finland
Ongoing water crises, characterised by weeks without water in some areas and an unsafe water supply in others, have become a cruel reality for many South Africans. Over the past five years, we worked with government, business, civil society and communities to collaboratively pursue the simple – yet mammoth – aim of securing the country’s water supply for the benefit of people, nature and the economy.
Between 2020 and 2025, WWF strengthened water stewardship in South Africa’s strategic water source areas by working with community-public-private partnerships (CPPPs). In two of these partnerships – the uMhlathuze Water Stewardship Partnership (UWASP) and the uMkhomazi Catchment Working Group (UCWG) in KwaZulu-Natal – we were able to hire full-time coordinators thanks to funding from longstanding business partners Mondi (for UWASP) and Sappi (for UCWG).
Having embedded, full-time coordinators in these water source partnerships amplified our ability to convene partners; provide independent, science-based technical advice to these platforms; and support the development of collective strategies for the partnerships. Mondi has also supported the development of Inwards and Flowtracker – two near real-time monitoring tools that support water governance.
Our business partners’ financial support for water source partnerships did not end there. In 2024, Mondi’s support enabled UWASP to conduct a study to assess the feasibility of using grey-green infrastructure in the catchment area, while Sappi’s support enabled the UCWG to clear invasive alien plants, develop youth enterprises, improve rangeland management, kick-start an initiative that used cleared biomass to make biochar, and produce a regular newsletter to raise awareness of – and support for – the group’s water management activities. Sappi’s financial support also enabled WWF to monitor and evaluate the working group’s progress, contributing to Sappi renewing its initial two-year water stewardship agreement with WWF for another four years, to 2027.
WWF’s relationship with transformational business partner Nedbank has, through the WWF Nedbank Green Trust, enabled the uMzimvubu Catchment Partnership (UCP) to undertake a range of freshwater-enhancing activities since 2017. These activities include removing invasive alien species, protecting 43 natural springs for improved water access in rural communities, and investigating the use of biodegradable nappy linings in communities to reduce the dumping of used disposable nappies in waterways and grasslands.
Nedbank’s financial support has had a multiplying effect, attracting additional funding to the Eastern Cape Drakensberg Strategic Water Source Area and providing proof-of-concept that spring protection is a practical, cost-effective method for securing water sources over the long term. This finding has been captured in a policy brief jointly produced by WWF and Lima Rural Development Foundation.
Many of these achievements would not have been possible without Sanlam, a leading funder of our freshwater work.
For almost 20 years, Sanlam’s support has provided us with dedicated staff capacity to do the groundwork that has enabled various partnerships to emerge, and to attract further funding to all strategic water source areas.