World Wide Fund for Nature, put down your weapons. You are not a mercenary. You are not a government. You are not a terrorist. Your mission: to save the planet. Saving the planet does not happen by shooting people, or even by threatening them.

One might be forgiven for thinking that headlines this week revealing allegations that WWF was in bed with paramilitaries in different parts of the world must have been referring to the erstwhile World Wrestling Federation, not the fluffy panda charity that saves tigers. How could this possibly be?

Kudos to WWF for appointing an independent human rights investigation into these latest claims. But, if the allegations are true, please don’t just slap a few wrists and add in some extra safeguarding measures. That will do little to stem the tide of discontent and malfeasance across the sector. Use this as an opportunity to revolutionize what such organizations can be, so that they become a better version of what they are now.

Doane’s full opinion piece can be found at The Guardian.

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash