Department “Innovation, Sciences, Technologies, & Solutions”

WWF has written many conservation success stories, but the environmental changes of an increasingly complex world are putting major challenges ahead of us. As time is running out, we urgently have to find the right levers to take conservation to the next level. Conservation strategies need to be effective, efficient, and sustainable, and change “the rules of the game”.

This is our sphere of activity.

The Department “Innovation, Sciences, Technologies, & Solutions” stimulates and supports innovative thinking for sustainable conservation strategies. We analyze the key challenges in conservation, identify smart levers for change, and catalyze the implementation of innovative approaches within the WWF-network and beyond.

Identification of global key conservation challenges

Based on WWF´s strategy papers and up-to-date scientific publications, we define key challenges in conservation for WWF. A network-wide expert survey helps to add the perspectives of WWF staff to our analysis by identifying drivers, root causes and possible solutions.

Which solutions have been successful in the past? Under which circumstances can we transfer these solutions to other cases? In our upcoming workshop “Challenge the change: chances in conservation“ from 29-30 November 2018 in Berlin, national and international leaders in innovation and conservation will come together to answer these questions. Our goal is the establishment and animation of an international ideation process which continuously helps to develop innovative approaches and their proliferation within the WWF-network.

Current trends in conservation, technology, society, and the economy

We support WWF in becoming a game changer by analyzing relevant trends in technology, society and economy – and their impact on the work of WWF. A focus is laid on new options and windows of opportunity emerging. Together with partners from science and society, we are developing projects that help WWF to move from a re-active position towards pro-active agenda setting.

Elaboration of new tools and strategies

Satellite techniques for more transparency in fisheries or an open innovation platform are just two themes which will influence future conservation. However, we strongly believe that new options will not only arise from technology, but also from new concepts of good governance. We therefore develop and support innovative approaches of high societal relevance from theory to implementation.

Tools for knowledge transfer and cooperation

Within WWF, we support the development of an innovation culture which supports both open and targeted innovation. In close collaboration with other departments and initiatives, we implement approaches and methods for knowledge transfer and improved cooperation within WWF.