Draft:World Wide Flora and Fauna

World Wide Flora & Fauna in Amateur Radio

Abbreviation	WWFF
Formation	2008 (2008)
Type	Nonprofit
Purpose	Radiosport, environmental awareness
Headquarters	International
Website	wwff.co

World Wide Flora & Fauna in Amateur Radio (WWFF) is a global, non-commercial amateur radio program that encourages licensed operators to operate portable radio stations from protected nature parks and reserves. The program aims to promote awareness about the importance of biodiversity, conservation of flora and fauna, and the benefits of outdoor operation in amateur radio.

History

The WWFF program originated in 2008 as the World Flora and Fauna (WFF) initiative. It was created by Valery, RW3GW, and supported by the Russian Robinson Club, inspired by the United Nations' International Year of Planet Earth. The original WFF Directory listed around 4,600 natural areas, including several in Antarctica.

In November 2012, the initiative was restructured and renamed to World Wide Flora & Fauna (WWFF). The relaunch included a new website, a central logging database called WWFF LogSearch developed by Andrew, M0YMA, and a globally coordinated award system.

Since its restructuring in 2012, WWFF has grown into a global program with participants in over 167 countries. The program maintains a comprehensive database of protected natural areas worldwide, each assigned a unique reference number. For example, German references begin with DLFF (e.g., DLFF-0001), Australian references with VKFF, and Belgian references with ONFF.

Objectives

The program encourages operators to combine amateur radio with outdoor activity and environmental stewardship. Main objectives include:

• Raising awareness of the need to protect biodiversity and natural habitats
• Promoting portable operating techniques in amateur radio
• Building global community and cooperation through shared activity

Participation

Participants in WWFF are grouped into the following categories:

• Activators: Amateur radio operators who set up stations in protected areas
• Hunters: Operators who contact Activators from home or fixed locations
• Short Wave Listeners (SWLs): Non-transmitting participants who log contacts

Each WWFF reference location is assigned a unique alphanumeric code (e.g., DLFF-0001 in Germany or ONFF-0010 in Belgium), which identifies the country and specific site.

Activators typically use portable, battery-powered equipment that can be easily transported to protected natural areas. Equipment ranges from simple QRP (low power) setups to more sophisticated stations, depending on the operator's preferences and the specific location's accessibility. Antennas may include wire dipoles suspended from trees, vertical antennas mounted on portable masts, or compact loop antennas.

A WWFF reference can be activated with just one QSO (contact), but for the activity to count towards WWFF activator awards, a minimum of 44 QSOs are required. Activators can announce their planned operations in advance through the WWFF website, social media channels, or amateur radio spotting networks to attract hunters.

All contacts are logged and submitted to the WWFF LogSearch database, which automatically tracks achievements and issues awards. The program emphasizes environmentally responsible operation, with participants encouraged to follow "leave no trace" principles and respect wildlife and other park visitors.

Organization

WWFF is coordinated by a volunteer team of international representatives and national coordinators. Key roles include:

• Global Co-Chairs
• LogSearch Administrator
• Directory Manager
• Award Managers
• IT Support

Local coordinators manage country-specific programs under the global WWFF guidelines.

Activities and Awards

Participants can earn various awards based on activity and contacts:

• Global Awards: Issued for achievements across multiple WWFF areas worldwide
• National Awards: Issued by local coordinators (e.g., DLFF in Germany, VKFF in Australia)
• Anniversary and Special Event Awards: For participation in commemorative events such as WWFF's 12.5-year anniversary

Log submissions and award tracking are handled through the WWFF LogSearch platform.

Statistics

As of 2025:

• Over 38,000 WWFF reference areas have been designated
• More than 167 DXCC entities participate
• Over 22 million contacts (QSOs) have been logged in the WWFF database

Related Programs

WWFF is part of a larger ecosystem of outdoor and thematic amateur radio programs:

• Parks On The Air (POTA)
• Summits on the Air (SOTA)
• Islands on the Air (IOTA)
• Lighthouses on the Air
• Mills on the Air
• Radiosport

Comparison with Parks on the Air

While WWFF and Parks On The Air (POTA) share similar objectives of encouraging amateur radio operation from parks and protected areas, they differ in several key aspects:

Feature	WWFF	POTA
Origin	Established in 2008 as WFF, restructured in 2012	Evolved from NPOTA (2016) and formally established in 2018
Reference System	Country prefix + FF (e.g., DLFF, VKFF)	ISO country code prefix (e.g., US-, IT-)
Activation Requirement	1 QSO to activate a reference, 44 QSOs for activator awards	10 QSOs minimum
Geographic Scope	Primarily focused on protected natural areas with conservation value	Includes national, state, and provincial parks, monuments, and historic sites
Organization	Decentralized with national coordinators under global guidelines	Centralized nonprofit organization based in the United States

Many amateur radio operators participate in both programs, and some protected areas have designations in both WWFF and POTA reference systems.

External links

• Official website
• WWFF LogSearch
• WWFF Directory of Protected Areas
• WWFF Introduction Video – YouTube
• WWFF Facebook Group
• DLFF – German WWFF chapter

See also

• Amateur radio
• Parks on the Air
• Field Day (amateur radio)
• Portable operation (amateur radio)