Moderator: Good afternoon and welcome to Viewpoint with our guest, Kathryn Fuller. Kathryn, thank you for joining us today. How did the Living Planet Campaign come about and what is the main message it conveys?

Kathryn Fuller: I'm really pleased to be here and glad that you've asked me about the Living Planet Campaign. World Wildlife Fund went into this campaign mode because we were confronted with a rate of extinction of species and of habitats of an unprecedented scale. Scientists tell us that we may lose twenty percent of all species on Earth over the next thirty years if current trends continue. So WWF challenged itself to get to scale, to take our decades of experience on the ground and in the policy arena to a new level and to engage decision-makers and the public in the effort. The centerpiece of the campaign is something we call the Global 200 and those are the planet's most important terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats. If we can save those pieces, then we have a blueprint for preserving the very best of nature across our planet.

Moderator: How did WWF choose these 237 special regions? What were your criteria?

Kathryn Fuller: We began with a rigorous scientific analysis involving both WWF scientists and others from around the world. They identified the finest examples of every major habitat type, from the Arctic to the Amazon, from deserts to reefs to mangroves, and at every elevation. The result is that we have some familiar places from a conservation perspective, tropical rainforests, for example, with their extraordinarily abundant and comprehensive array of species, but this comprehensive analysis also led us to identify other natural wonders, such as caribou herds migrating in the Arctic or the monarch butterfly's wintering habitat, and it also identifies important deserts and freshwater systems. It is truly a blueprint and one which I'm pleased to say is influencing organizations beyond World Wildlife Fund in their decision making.

Moderator: Has much happened to ensure protection of the regions since the Global 200 were chosen? Are you getting support from governments, corporations, and individuals?

Kathryn Fuller: We are getting very encouraging response. In fact, in the first year or so of the campaign, governments and businesses have made new commitments to protect more than a billion acres of wildlife habitat around the globe. And we are beginning to see real shifts in the marketplace as consumers here in the U.S. and around the world request timber, for example, that comes from independently certified, well managed sources.

Hollywood, FL: What will be WWF's prime focus for the Everglades campaign as part of the Coalition? What is the organization's stand on the panther and the sparrow? And periphyton? Thank you.

Kathryn Fuller: The Everglades ecoregion is high on the global 200 list. It is truly a world treasure. World Wildlife Fund's role in conservation of the Everglades is to bring our international perspective and clout to the assistance of the other local and national organizations that have worked long and hard on protecting that system. Our ecoregional approach to conservation is helping to influence decision-makers at the local, state, and national levels. We have also enlisted our members as activists on behalf of the Everglades, again complimenting and bolstering the work of our colleague organizations.

The endangered species -- the panther and the sparrow -- certainly are flagships for the problems of nature conservation in that heavily stressed system, and underscore the need for urgent action. Our traditional focus on endangered species, I think, helps to convey the broader conservation message to a wide audience and to inspire action.

Detroit, MI: I recently bought your new book Living Planet and it is beautiful. How did this come about, how did these photographers get onboard and do you get a percentage of profits.

Kathryn Fuller: Like you, I think the book is just dazzling. The three photographers -- David Doubilet, Frans Lanting, and Galen Rowell -- are all long-time friends and colleagues here at WWF. They were instantly enthusiastic about participating with us in this project. It was a terrific partnership all around, and the photographers themselves got to visit some global treasures even they had not seen before.

And yes, WWF does receive a royalty of approximately seven percent from the sale of the book, which we then invest in conservation of the Global 200. So the book both helps to get the message out and provides direct support on the ground.

Toronto Ontario: Hi Kathryn, how important are children to this whole global 200 project?

Kathryn Fuller: Children are critical. They are our future. And the central message of the Living Planet Campaign is to take action to leave our children a living planet. WWF has long invested in environmental education. Our Windows on the Wild materials teach children about the Global 200, about global processes, and about what they can do to make a difference.

We also work through zoos, aquariums, nature centers, and the like to engage families.

As the mother myself of three children, I know how much of an influence they have on me and how much of my personal motivation comes from my aspirations for their future.

Perrysburg, OH: Do you see corporations and businesses as the key to environmental protection in the next century?...meaning that although they seem to be the main threat to the environment..air, water, land development, etc. that eventually they will have to be a main force in turning our patterns of life to be more sustainable? How soon will the impact of these environmentally cooperative businesses -if you do see business as the key- be in great enough numbers to notice or make a difference?

Kathryn Fuller: Increasingly, with our globalized economy and communications, I believe that the private sector does hold many of the keys for our global environment. The amount of private investment around the world dwarfs what is spent by governments.

As you say, business can drive destruction, but by harnessing market forces to benefit nature, business also has enormous potential to help. We are seeing businesses move forward to purchase wood products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), for example. Home Depot, the world's largest seller of wood products, is promoting for itself and all its suppliers, the use of independently-certified wood products that come from well-managed forests. This kind of commitment can fundamentally change a marketplace and have a dramatic impact on the health and abundance of forests around the globe.

Santa Barbara, California: As WWF and other conservation organizations educate the public on important environmental impact issues, how will we address one of the most problematic issues of over population of the human species?
We commit ourselves to "wildlife management", but can not even manage ourselves.
Will WWF have any involvement with organizations that promote human population control? Thank you.

Kathryn Fuller: WWF of course is a nature conservation organization and so we do not do population work directly. We do, however, link up with population organizations in the field, and we try to educate people about the links between human populations and the species and habitats we're working to protect.

As you suggest, it is important that people everywhere understand the overarching threat we humans pose to the planet through our sheer numbers and the way we consume resources.

Here in the U.S., for example, with five percent of the world's population we consume more than twenty percent of the world's resources. We have found that the plight of wildlife around the world is something that can motivate people to take action on these large interrelated issues.

We have also found in our work on the ground that education and empowerment of women is central to reducing family size. So our projects always include components to involve and educate women.

San Francisco, CA: It all seems so daunting, saving the planet. Are there simple things I an do in my life to really make a difference beyond giving money?

Kathryn Fuller: We have an action kit that you can order online at:
www.worldwildlife.org/actions/.

There are many things that people can do in their daily lives and this kit provides a variety of ideas. We encourage people to educate themselves, to speak up, and to take action.

Many people are doing so, for example, through WWF's Conservation Action Network (takeaction.worldwildlife.org), which provides online opportunities to influence decision-makers at critical moments. And these advocacy efforts do make a difference. Just a few weeks ago, the Russian government recalled whaling vessels that were hunting beluga whales to ship to Japan. The outpouring from more than 4,000 WWF activists around the world in just a couple of days led to the cancellation of the hunt.

Thomasville, Georgia: I was reading about the newly discovered mammals in Vietnam on washingtonpost.com's science page yesterday. What will WWF do to protect these new genus-species?

Kathryn Fuller: It is amazing that in our modern world not just new species, but new large mammals are being discovered. The region of Vietnam where these goat/antelopes have been discovered is in fact a Global 200 ecoregion. And so we are working with the Vietnamese and Laotian governments on trans-boundary protections of this remote and biologically remarkable area. Shining the global spotlight on this region through the discovery of these new mammals can only help to spur near-term conservation action.

Ambler, Pa: Can we save the tiger from extinction cause by mankind?

Kathryn Fuller: One very exciting development for tigers is taking place right now. The Chinese government, WWF, and the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine are co-hosting the first ever conference in Beijing on eliminating endangered species like tigers and rhinos from traditional medicines (www.worldwildlife.org/news/). The trade in tigers and tiger parts for medicinal purposes has been the major driver in the crash of many tiger populations in recent years. If we can change that market -- and we think we can -- the prospect for tigers in the wild will improve dramatically.

We are also working with governments and communities throughout the tiger's range, from Siberia to the Indian subcontinent, to eliminate poaching and protect the tiger's forest habitat.

The bottom line is that, although they remain endangered, tigers today are in better shape in much of their range than they were just three or four years ago.

Seattle, WA: I belong to WWF and applaud your efforts in Asia, Africa and other parts of the world. But what is WWF doing in my backyard? I read an article in the LA Times about real trouble in places like the Bering Sea.

Kathryn Fuller: WWF is doing a lot. One of the things we learned from the Global 200 analysis is that the U.S. has more global 200 ecoregions than any other country in the world. In other words, this is a country with world class biological diversity. We are working in a number of these Global 200 ecoregions from the Bering Sea to the Florida Everglades, from the Chihuahuan Desert to the Klamath Siskyou forests of Northern California and Southern Oregon in partnership with local and regional conservation groups.

Information about our work in these ecoregions and the threats they face is on our website at www.worldwildlife.org/global200/

We have also expanded substantially our outreach work and now have partnerships with leading zoos and aquariums around the country to get the conservation message out through a variety of hands-on local events.

Washington, D.C.: What is the position of the WWF in front of the comming WTO meeting in Seattle?
Are there some specific demands the WWF to the WTO?
If WWF was to participate in the international trade agenda, what would be the most important environmental issues to include?

Kathryn Fuller: This WTO ministerial stands to be very important for our nature conservation agenda, and WWF is involved in the meetings. We are urging the WTO to take account of the impacts of subsidies and tax policies on forests and on fisheries around the world. There is real interest by some governments in eliminating subsidies that drive destruction of forests and fisheries. On the other side of the coin, we want to make sure that the WTO does not undermine the very encouraging potential of ecolabels such as those of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to encourage consumers to seek "green" timber and fish.

There are many other pressing and complex and environment issues, but these are the ones highest on my list.

Kathryn Fuller: This has been a great opportunity for me to hear from people directly. Let me thank all of you who took the time to participate and apologize that time didn't allow me to answer all the thoughtful questions posed. Let me also encourage all of you who so clearly care about conservation to join with us in the Living Planet Campaign by taking personal action in whatever way you can. Visit our website (http://www.worldwildlife.org) often! And let us hear from you.

Moderator: Our thanks to Kathryn Fuller, World Wildlife Fund and all who participated.