The WWF is run at a local level by the following offices...

Along with its strong ties with global conservation, the WWF Panda symbolises local optimism for a future in which South Africa’s people and nature both thrive. This optimism was best captured in our 2023 Believe in Better brand campaign, which called on everyday South Africans to believe that a better future is possible for both people and the environment – and to join WWF in contributing positively to the change the world needs to see. The campaign’s impact exceeded our expectations, reaching more than 6 million people online and encouraging 6 000 new subscribers to join our supporter base.

At WWF, we make a point of consulting a broad range of stakeholders from all segments of society when developing and implementing projects. This sense of open, inclusive collaboration even encourages businesses to partner with us – especially when they realise the need to assess and manage their business-related environmental risks.

As WWF helps these companies gain a deeper understanding of their intrinsic dependence on nature and the urgent need to regenerate South Africa’s natural assets, so too does their relationship with WWF mature, often to the point of concrete commitments to fund our core and programmatic work. In this way, the Panda’s reputation for collaboration both enhances our ability to implement impactful projects and contributes to strengthening our financial viability.

To our funders and South Africa’s regulating authorities, the WWF Panda is synonymous with an integrity and trustworthiness that comes from good governance and effective financial controls.

Our good governance can be attributed to our dedicated Board, an independent collective of South African luminaries from the conservation, business and finance sectors who give generously of their time and knowledge, without any compensation, to provide us with strategic guidance and oversight. The Board’s leadership helped us navigate the difficult times of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it will continue to keep us on course as we embark on Strategy 2030.

On the financial front, we received unqualified audits every year of the strategy period – a testament to our rigorous financial controls and the commitment with which we manage the money not only of WWF, but also our associated trusts.

The WWF Panda is also a symbol of diversity, with inclusiveness as a lived value. At WWF, we are fortunate enough to do purpose-driven work that aims to conserve nature while uplifting the country’s most vulnerable populations. Our people do not need to leave their personal values at home when they come to work.

This sense of inclusiveness is enshrined in our employee value proposition, the Panda Promise, which has as its final promise a sense of “power in diversity”. We started publishing the full Panda Promise on advertisements for vacancies during the strategy period, allowing us to recruit like-minded, principled people while establishing WWF as a desirable place to work from that very first point of contact.

As we embark on Strategy 2030, we will continue to grow our ambition with courage and respect.

We will also continue building on global and local recognition of – and goodwill for – our much-loved black-and-white panda logo, and the promise it holds for a greener and more inclusive future.