WWF Italy marks 60 years of protecting nature

Founded in 1966, the Italian branch of the World Wildlife Fund now looks ahead to bigger environmental challenges. WWF Italy celebrated its 60th anniversary on 5 July, marking six decades since a small group of pioneers, led by Fulco Pratesi, established the organisation in 1966. To mark the milestone, a WWF delegation led by president Luciano Di Tizio met Italy's president Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace, presenting him with the first copy of a new book, WWF 60 anni per la natura, charting the association's history. Pope Leo XIV also sent an apostolic blessing, encouraging the organisation to continue its work of raising awareness and caring for creation, and calling for a shift from simply gathering data to genuine ecological conversion. Numerous public figures who have supported WWF over the years, including Luca Argentero, Fiorello and Licia Colò, contributed messages of support compiled into a video released for the occasion. From early battles to institutional influence WWF Italy was founded at a time when environmental protection barely featured in Italian public life: just 0.6 per cent of the country's territory was protected, hunting was widespread, and wetlands were routinely drained. The organisation's first Oasis was created in 1967 with the purchase of hunting rights at Lake Burano - the beginning of a protected-area network that today spans more than 100 Oasis sites covering over 30,000 hectares. In the 1970s, WWF Italy led efforts to save the Apennine wolf from extinction and campaigned against pesticide use and habitat destruction. The 1980s brought its "10% Challenge", calling for a tenth of Italian territory to be protected - pressure that contributed to the creation of Italy's ministry of the environment in 1986 and to key environmental legislation. The 1990s saw the organisation help shape a 1991 framework law on protected natural areas and support the rollout of the Natura 2000 network, while also engaging with the international sustainability agenda that emerged from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. From the 2000s, climate change became a central focus, with campaigns on energy transition, emissions reduction and renewable energy, alongside continued work on habitat loss and illegal wildlife trafficking. Recent achievements and future priorities More recently, WWF Italy has campaigned against plastic pollution, championed pollinator protection and sustainable fishing, and backed forest conservation. It played a role in enshrining environmental protection in the Italian constitution in 2022 and in pushing for the EU's Nature Restoration Law. Looking ahead, president Luciano Di Tizio said the anniversary was not an endpoint but a step towards larger and more urgent challenges, citing the international goal of protecting 30 per cent of land and sea areas by 2030 and restoring 20 per cent of degraded ecosystems, alongside the need to accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels. Director general Alessandra Prampolini added that nature protection must become more deeply embedded in economic models, from the circular economy to sustainable food, urban and water systems, stressing that lasting change would depend on stronger community engagement and education alongside regulation and technology. Photo: Orso marsicano © homoambiens - courtesy WWF Italia

WIRE — Founded in 1966, the Italian branch of the World Wildlife Fund now looks ahead to bigger environmental challenges. WWF Italy celebrated its 60th anniversary on 5 July, marking six decades since a small group of pioneers, led by Fulco Pratesi, established the organisation in 1966. To mark the milestone, a WWF delegation led by president Luciano Di Tizio met Italy's president Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace, presenting him with the first copy of a new book, WWF 60 anni per la natura, charting the association's history. Pope Leo XIV also sent an apostolic blessing, encouraging the organisation to continue its work of raising awareness and caring for creation, and calling for a shift from simply gathering data to genuine ecological conversion. Numerous public figures who have supported WWF over the years, including Luca Argentero, Fiorello and Licia Colò, contributed messages of support compiled into a video released for the occasion. From early battles to institutional influence WWF Italy was founded at a time when environmental protection barely featured in Italian public life: just 0.6 per cent of the country's territory was protected, hunting was widespread, and wetlands were routinely drained. The organisation's first Oasis was created in 1967 with the purchase of hunting rights at Lake Burano - the beginning of a protected-area network that today spans more than 100 Oasis sites covering over 30,000 hectares. In the 1970s, WWF Italy led efforts to save the Apennine wolf from extinction and campaigned against pesticide use and habitat destruction. The 1980s brought its "10% Challenge", calling for a tenth of Italian territory to be protected - pressure that contributed to the creation of Italy's ministry of the environment in 1986 and to key environmental legislation. The 1990s saw the organisation help shape a 1991 framework law on protected natural areas and support the rollout of the Natura 2000 network, while also engaging with the international sustainability agenda that emerged from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. From the 2000s, climate change became a central focus, with campaigns on energy transition, emissions reduction and renewable energy, alongside continued work on habitat loss and illegal wildlife trafficking. Recent achievements and future priorities More recently, WWF Italy has campaigned against plastic pollution, championed pollinator protection and sustainable fishing, and backed forest conservation. It played a role in enshrining environmental protection in the Italian constitution in 2022 and in pushing for the EU's Nature Restoration Law. Looking ahead, president Luciano Di Tizio said the anniversary was not an endpoint but a step towards larger and more urgent challenges, citing the international goal of protecting 30 per cent of land and sea areas by 2030 and restoring 20 per cent of degraded ecosystems, alongside the need to accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels. Director general Alessandra Prampolini added that nature protection must become more deeply embedded in economic models, from the circular economy to sustainable food, urban and water systems, stressing that lasting change would depend on stronger community engagement and education alongside regulation and technology. Photo: Orso marsicano © homoambiens - courtesy WWF Italia

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