WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and the holiday season, WWF would like to know what you are thankful for. Please share your thoughts with us as they relate to wildlife, wild places and conservation so we can all inspire each other.

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WWF is thankful for an extraordinary 2007 WWF's Top 10 Conservation Accomplishments in 2007 © WWF-Canon / Vladimir FILONOV Two New Parks in Russia for Tigers and People After years of advocacy by WWF, the Russian government has created the first national parks in the Russian Far East. Zov Tigra, which translates to "Roar of the Tiger," and Udege Legend national parks will provide an area more than twice the size of Shenandoah National Park (419,000 acres) for Siberian tigers. Udege Legend National Park is also home to the Udege people, an indigenous group that has lived in the region for more than 15 centuries. © Edward PARKER Historic Agreement Protects Heart of Borneo In February, leaders of the three Bornean governments - Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia - signed the historic "Heart of Borneo" declaration to conserve and sustainably manage one of the most important centers of biological diversity in the world. The declaration is a lifeline for Borneo's rain forests, which are threatened by unsustainable logging, forest fires and conversion to plantations. Every year an area of forest nearly the size of New Jersey is lost, and today only half of Borneo's original forest remains. The island is home to 13 primate species, over 350 bird species, 150 reptile and amphibian species and around 15,000 plant species. It also continues to be the source of many new discoveries; more than 50 new species were discovered here in 2006 alone. © WWF-Canon / Russell A. MITTERMEIER New Park in Congo for Bonobos, Elephants and People The most significant accomplishment in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year was the creation of the Tumba-Lediima Natural Reserve. The new reserve covers 1.9 million acres, an area more than two-and-a-half times the size of Yosemite National Park. Biodiversity surveys conducted by WWF identified critical populations of bonobo and forest elephant in this region. The park will benefit nearby communities by giving local people a voice in the governance of the region's natural resources. WWF is also initiating an ecotourism program that will share revenues with local communities. © Galen Rowell/Mountain Light Community Takes on Management of Area in Nepal In September 2006, Nepal's government turned over conservation of the wildlife and habitats surrounding Kangchenjunga - the world's third-highest mountain - to a coalition of local communities. The Kangchenjunga Conservation Area Project is designed to conserve threatened wildlife species such as the snow leopard while supporting the local communities through health services, informal education and income generating activities. New Leadership for Galápagos The former director of WWF's Galápagos program, Eliecer Cruz, was appointed governor of the islands in 2007. Prior to joining WWF, Cruz spent eight years as the director of Galápagos National Park. Another important accomplishment this past year was the addition of the Galápagos Islands to the list of World Heritage sites in danger. The declaration will help advance a new tourism model for the islands. © WWF/Caroline Simmonds New Reserve in Mozambique WWF has made important strides with its partners to establish the Lake Niassa Reserve in northern Mozambique. With funding from USAID, the project has successfully trained 24 community rangers and conducted community consultations with villages along the lake. WWF has also organized patrols of the area with a joint community/naval patrol boat, and is working with the Ministry of Fisheries and the Ministry for the Coordination of Environmental Affairs to create the legal framework for the reserve. We are working with the government of Mozambique to declare the reserve and secure biodiversity and the livelihoods of lakeside communities. © Brandon D. Cole Leaders Endorse Plan to Conserve Coral Triangle In September, 21 world leaders endorsed a new proposal to safeguard the rich marine resources of the Indo-Pacific region for future generations. The move came at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and aims to bring together six governments in a multilateral partnership to conserve the extraordinary marine life in the region. President George W. Bush praised the initiative during the summit. © WWF / Ronny FRIMANN Fishing Pressure Reduced in Fragile Arctic Along with other environmental organizations, WWF's Bering Sea and Kamchatka ecoregion program was instrumental in convincing the North Pacific Fisheries Council to close parts of the Arctic Ocean to virtually all commercial fishing. As sea ice has receded, fishing has become an option in this area, but many questions remain about whether fishing here can be done in a sustainable way. © WWF / Katherine Bostick Major Reforms of Aquaculture Industry in Chile WWF's engagement with salmon producers in Chile has led Marine Harvest, the world's largest salmon farming company, to commit to retiring all their lake concessions in Chile over the next five years. The total value of this divestment could reach $63 million, and they have made an additional pledge of up to $40 million to build more sustainable land-based plants. Other salmon farming companies are now expected to develop plans to reduce or stop their salmon production in Chile's lakes. HSBC, a global financial institution, will partner with WWF to strengthen the environmental criteria placed on their loans to the aquaculture industry in Chile. © WWF-Canon / Jeff FOOTT Holding the Line on Tiger Farming WWF, working through the International Tiger Coalition, successfully lobbied world leaders to adopt a resolution rejecting the practice of raising captive tigers for trade in tiger parts, and to phase out large-scale commercial tiger farms. The move came at this year's meeting of the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), an agreement that regulates trade in wild animals and plants. Along with other efforts by WWF and its partners, this resolution has kept the trade in tiger parts closed. Scientists believe that opening the trade in tiger parts would very quickly lead to the extinction of the world's remaining wild tigers.