Policy and Research | WWF India

Policy and Research

As India develops rapidly, increasing populations, rising consumption, declining resource bases, climate change impacts, fast-track infrastructure development and potentially greater resource conflicts will define the spaces that we work in. In order to be able to tackle the challenges of the future, consequences of our actions today, we need to identify a development paradigm which is just, sustainable, equitable and one which respects natural and ecological boundaries.
WWF-India, through its programmes, is working towards articulating and attaining such a vision by enabling technical expertise to address emerging environmental challenges. Acknowledging the need to increase visibility of conservation work and issues in the policy sphere at the national level, WWF-India is working towards developing and implementing strategies to increase policy influence through events, landmark publications, strong media strategies, networking and alliance building, and sustained stakeholder engagement.
This segment presents thematic issues which address fundamental drivers or opportunities for transformational change.


Likely to be one of the countries that will be worst hit by climate change, India has an urgent need to 'climate proof' key vulnerable areas such as the Himalayas, the Sundarbans, the Ganga Basin, among others. Climate Adaptation works towards embedding climate adaptation strategies- both at planning and policy levels - in all conservation programmes across the country.


Looking at a bigger development scenario that is both successful and sustainable in the long run, it is imperative that we strike a balance between ecology and economics; between development and conservation. With the aim of embedding environment conservation strategies in the framework of our development model, Developmental Economics aims to provide economic expertise at different levels, offering fact-based alternative development policies and practices that take into account the values of ecosystem services and biodiversity.


Spatial Plans provide a powerful advocacy tool for discussing alternative development scenarios. Spatial Planning aims to build both technical expertise and capacity of people who can think on a spatial scale and through multiple lenses. India is one of the most rapidly urbanising countries in the world with about half of its population (nearly 600 million people) expected to be living in cities by 2030. However, an absence of urban planning is leading to cities expanding beyond capacity, resulting in increasing footprints on water, land and biodiversity. Urban Planning works towards analyzing and understanding the nexus between urbanization, environment and biodiversity in order to address urban footprint issues. 


Expansion of infrastructure and a growing demand from extractives, particularly coal, is going to pose one of the biggest threats to bio-diversity in the coming years. The Infrastructure/Extractives segment, with appropriate knowledge, technical expertise and without compromising on conservation goals, aims to propose viable options in situations where alternative methods are not possible.