WWF, FAITH &
CONSERVATION
Photograph: © WWF-Uganda
OVERVIEW
WWF has had a long-standing engagement with the faith world. In 1986, a groundbreaking meeting was held in Assisi, Italy, as part of WWF’s 25th anniversary, on the suggestion of then President of WWF International, HRH Prince Philip. It was this extraordinary first-ever meeting between the major faith groups and conservation organisations that prompted the faiths to consider the environment as a religious issue – in many cases for the first time.​
WWF supports on-the-ground projects as well as faith advocacy for a greener world. Through this work, we engage with communities based on their spiritual, religious and cultural beliefs and value systems. See below for information on some of the projects and resources WWF has supported with faith partners.
'Faith has always been present in the environmental movement and yet it is invisible. The fact is that where we get our values about nature from – in all religions, in all places, all peoples – is very deeply rooted in people's faith'
Dr Adil Najam, President of WWF International, speaking at COP28
Latest updates from WWF's offices around the world
WWF INDONESIA SUPPORTS SUSTAINABLE MERIT RELEASE IN CENTRAL KALIMANTAN
In 2025 WWF Indonesia was invited by a representative of the Ministry of Religious Affairs from the Buddhist community in Central Kalimantan to discuss sustainable merit release.
The representative, charged with supporting Buddhist institutions, councils, organisations, Sunday schools, teachers, temples and communities, asked WWF to help them understand which species could be released in what locations, so as not to disturb the natural balance of the ecosystem.
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Merit release is the act of releasing living beings, usually animals, back into their natural habitat or into the wild as an expression of compassion. It is a practice of loving-kindness aimed at saving living beings that are trapped or threatened so that they may return to live freely in their original habitat.
WWF PAKISTAN SUPPORTS COMMUNITIES TO CONSERVE THE ANCIENT, RARE AND ENDANGERED HIMALAYAN YEW
Community meeting to discuss the unsustainable harvesting of yew. Photo: WWF-Pakistan
A mature Himalayan yew tree – once heavily targeted for grave planks. Photo: WWF-Pakistan
This inspiring success story from WWF-Pakistan shows how working with faith communities to change a practice rooted in religious and cultural tradition is helping to preserve a rare, medicinally valuable tree.
High in the moist temperate forests of Galiyat, the ancient Himalayan yew (Taxus wallichiana) was once on the brink of disappearing. This slow growing, medicinally valuable tree had been heavily cut for decades, not only for fuel and small timber but particularly for a deeply rooted local practice: using thick wooden planks made from yew to line graves.
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​WWF introduced an innovation that was simple yet transformational: Reinforced cement concrete (RCC) slabs as substitutes for wooden planks – durable, dignified, religiously acceptable, and requiring no forest cutting.
Village elders, mosque committees, and local forest users agreed that the traditional grave planks were no longer needed. Within a few years, cutting of Taxus wallichiana for graves dropped to zero in 14 villages, and ​villagers began expressing pride in protecting the Himalayan yew.
Click below to read the full story.
HIGHLIGHTED RESOURCES
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STORIES FROM THE FIELD
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Key guidance documents
Interested in getting a collaboration or a project going with a faith community but not sure where to start? Check out these key guidance documents.
