Over 130 delegates and leaders from across the  World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) International Network gathered last May 2023  in Palawan, Philippines to discuss the most pressing issues and opportunities to progress the organization’s mission of building a future in which people live in harmony with nature. The global WWF leadership meeting is the organization’s first in person meeting since 2019 and was hosted by WWF-Philippines at the Astoria Hotel, Puerto Princesa. 

The conference theme was on People, Places and Impact, with discussions focusing on accelerating conservation impact in view of key global opportunities such as the Global Biodiversity Framework, Global Plastics Treaty and the upcoming Climate COPs.   External speakers from the youth sector, NGOs, local communities and Indigenous Peoples participated in panel discussion to give their perspectives on shared issues and priorities. 

Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga from the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), during her keynote speech, discussed how a whole-of-society approach is necessary to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, accelerate climate action, and strengthen disaster resilience. Secretary Loyzaga highlighted the Philippines as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, in the richest marine ecoregion on the planet, and one of the most at risk to human and climate impacts.  She emphasized several areas of collaboration between WWF and the DENR in line with the priorities of the Philippine government.

The WWF Conference featured over 25 side meetings on a variety of topics, enriching the main conference theme.  One of these side meetings is the WWF Asia Pacific (AP) 25 meeting composed of the 25 countries in which WWF operates in the Asia Pacific region. The session focused on the impact of the coalition of the 25 Asia Pacific WWF offices and the renaming of the group to AP25, signifying the group’s commitment to achieve shared ambitions that will exponentially increase the region’s conservation impact, influence and income. 

 Chaired by Laila Abdullatif, Director General of Emirates Nature-WWF, the AP 25 group ratified a commitment to deliver four strategic pillars across the Asia Pacific region that contribute to nature and climate goals. The session ended with strong commitment and agreement from all participating offices and expressions of support from larger offices in the network to provide co-investment in the AP25 vision of ‘A sustainable Asia Pacific for a sustainable world’.

Palawan holds a particular significance in the work of WWF in the Philippines. One of the earliest projects of WWF during the 1990s in the Philippines was a debt-for-nature swap that helped fund the world-renowned Puerto Princesa Underground River and create the El Nido - Taytay protected area.  Possessing rich mega biodiversity, Palawan is considered the country’s last ecological frontier and a source of hope when it comes to facing the biggest problems of nature loss and climate change. 

The Philippines has some of the most biologically-significant ecosystems in the world, and it is a key component of WWF’s Global agenda to protect these ecosystems in a way that benefits people and all life, as it impacts other parts of the region and the world. As a country with a rich megabiodiversity and high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, coupled with social and economic factors like poverty and inequality, Maribel Garcia, WWF-Philippines’ Chairperson, describes the biggest challenges we are facing as a country now. 

“If the future were a sniper, we are at the crosshairs of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, being #1 in the World Risk Index for the Climate crisis and one of the burning mega biodiversity hotspots in the world. They make for an enormous weight we bear and maybe this is why you can find the shortest intervals of laughter or comedy in the lives of Filipinos in the direst of straits. It is one way we release the weight.” she said. 

But Maribel also highlights that we can still succeed and we can look at some of the successful work of WWF like the Coral Triangle Program as an example of accelerated impact “making it no longer the reefs and oceans of six different countries or the marine programs of several offices, but the Coral Triangle – the globally recognized center of marine biodiversity – a haven for life for people and planet.” added Maribel. 

The WWF meeting in Palawan also served as a venue to recognize outgoing WWF International President ad interim Neville Isdell, and to welcome Dr. Adil Najam who takes on the role starting July 1st.