Category: Animal Law

Did you know that extreme weather disasters in the U.S. are now causing more than 20 billion‑dollar events every year, leaving a growing share of those losses uninsured? As climate change accelerates—and as ecosystems like wetlands and forests are destroyed and degraded—the insurance protection gap is widening, putting households, businesses, and entire communities at rising financial risk. In this episode of Nature Breaking, you’ll hear from David Kuhn, WWF’s Director for Adaptation and Resilience Partnerships and a contributor to a new WWF report on the insurance crisis. David explains what’s driving the surge in uninsured losses, why premiums are skyrocketing, and how climate‑driven disasters are undermining the stability of the US insurance system. He also breaks down how nature loss is stripping communities of their “first line of defense” against floods, storms, and heat—and why restoring ecosystems may be one of the most cost‑effective ways to strengthen resilience and shore up the insurance system. As David shares, there’s reason for hope in spite of these alarming trends. With smart policies, better risk modeling, and investments that treat nature as essential infrastructure, we can reduce damages, lower costs, and build a safer, more resilient future. David Kuhn bio: https://www.worldwildlife.org/about/profiles/david-kuhn/ REPORT: Tackling the Insurance Protection Gap: https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/climate_and_energy_practice/?14877466/Insurance-Protection-Gap-Policy-Brief Op-Ed: Nature is a powerful ally against fires and floods (LA Times): https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2026-02-04/nature-powerful-ally-fires-floods Chapters: 0:00 Teaser 0:31 Intro 1:56 Explaining the insurance protection gap 6:47 Insurance becoming an unsustainable business model 10:23 Practical impacts of insurance gap on consumers 15:23 Role of nature loss in the insurance crisis 19:16 How nature can help mitigate the insurance crisis 21:32 Recommendations for policymakers, insurers, companies, etc. 25:50 Reasons for hope 30:00 Outro

The winter sports season has just begun, and for some species, this is when their snowy skills truly shine.

We recently asked WWF staff from across the organization to reflect on the work highlights that made 2025 meaningful. WWF’s Madalen Howard shares her experience on visiting the sandhill crane migration in the Rio Grande Basin and its importance to freshwater ecosystems.

Whales roam the world's oceans, communicating with complex and mysterious sounds. Their sheer size never fails to amaze us. Did you know blue whales can reach over 100 feet long and weigh up to 200 tons? That’s as much as 33 elephants!

Did you know that 75% of the infrastructure the world will use in 2050 hasn’t been built yet? That means the choices we make today—about roads, bridges, railways, & more—will shape the future of both human development and the natural world. Tune into this week’s episode of Nature Breaking to learn how we can ensure that the infrastructure of tomorrow works for both nature and people.

Did you know that 75% of the infrastructure the world will use in 2050 hasn’t been built yet? That means the choices we make today—about roads, bridges, railways, ports, and power systems—will shape the future of both human development and the natural world. In this episode of Nature Breaking, WWF’s Ryan Bartlett, Director for Climate Resilience and Risk Management, explains how we can build the infrastructure we need without destroying the ecosystems we rely on for critical benefits, including resilience to worsening weather extremes. From habitat fragmentation to increased flooding, poorly planned infrastructure can unintentionally cause huge environmental and social problems. But with the right planning tools, safeguards, and nature-based solutions that treat nature as infrastructure, we can chart a very different path forward. Links for More Info: Ryan Bartlett bio: https://www.worldwildlife.org/about/profiles/ryan-bartlett/ WWF Sustainable Infrastructure page: https://www.worldwildlife.org/our-work/sustainability/infrastructure/ Sustainable Infrastructure Program in Asia: https://www.worldwildlife.org/our-work/sustainability/infrastructure/sustainable-infrastructure-program-in-asia/ Greening Transportation Infrastructure Development (GRID): https://gridip.org/ Chapters: 0:00 Preview 0:26 Intro 1:38 Challenges and opportunities with infrastructure development 4:37 Unintended consequences from poorly planned infrastructure 8:05 Best practices to balance infrastructure with nature & climate concerns 10:58 Solutions for infrastructure bisecting wildlife habitat 15:20 Asia as a key region for sustainable infrastructure 18:30 Sustainable Infrastructure Program in Asia (SIPA) 28:53 Lessons learned from SIPA 31:07 Greening Transportation Infrastructure Development (GRID) program 34:32 What does success look like for advancing sustainable infrastructure development? 37:39 Outro

For the first time ever, a tigress and five cubs were filmed by camera traps in China. Wild tigers typically give birth to one to four cubs, so five cubs are an exceptionally rare occurrence even in regions with abundant prey. China's tiger population has increased from an all-time low of 20 in 2010 to around 70 in 2025. Because of this, many communities in Northeast China haven't lived near tigers before, creating a generation gap in past knowledge and experience in managing encounters with these big cats. In response to this, WWF-China has been supporting the government with human-tiger coexistence strategies in anticipation of an increase in the tiger population in the region. Learn more: https://wwf.to/3L70Uvp

As the new year begins, we’re taking a moment to reflect back on the top 10 conservation wins of the century (so far). One of the biggest wins was the creation of ARPA — the world’s largest tropical rainforest conservation program. And this century has also brought progress for tigers, giant pandas, bison, and more.

2025 is almost over, so our podcast is counting down the top 10 conservation wins of the century (so far). From restoring wild tigers populations to protecting rainforests, there’s a lot to celebrate. Check out the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=undiB_keE4g.

As 2025 comes to a close, we’re looking back at the 10 biggest conservation wins of the 21st century (so far). We’ll revisit iconic successes like the Paris Agreement on climate, the rebound of wild tigers and giant pandas, and the creation of the Amazon Region Protected Areas Program, the largest tropical forest conservation initiative on Earth. Plus, we’ll celebrate grassroots efforts like Earth Hour and the return of bison to Native lands—proof that progress is happening at every level. If you care about wildlife, climate, and sustainability, this episode will give you hope and inspiration for the future. Links: Donate to support WWF’s conservation mission: wwf.help/podcast Chapters: 0:00 Preview 0:33 Intro 1:36 Rules of the Countdown 4:31 High Seas Treaty 5:57 Global Biodiversity Framework 7:06 Bison Restoration 9:27 Giant Pandas No Longer Endangered 10:43 The Paris Agreement on Climate Change 11:32 Global Response to the Poaching Crisis 12:55 Rebound of Wild Tigers 16:06 Earth Hour Launches 17:03 Creation of the Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) Program 19:55 Environmentalism Goes Mainstream