dossier Prins Bernhard

In het eerste verslag van WWF (1961-1964) schrijft de prins onder meer:

“Twentieth-century man has power in his hand undreamed of a generation ago to alter the natural world around him. He understands as yet only dimly the consequences and side-effects of using that power. He can destroy, and is destroying, so much that is irreplaceable, without realizing what he is doing”. (bron: Changing World, 35 years WWF).

Prins Bernhard opende in 1970 het tweede internationale WWF-Congress met de woorden:

“Most people will agree with the statement that the earth is round and not flat. It should not be necessary to also establish that it has a limited size, but up till now mankind is behaving as if this was not so. It has been stated that only if there is a high degree of material welfare and only if there is abundance, there will be sufficient money available to combat pollution and to manage our environment properly. But clean air, clean water a clean soil and a balanced energy cycle are no luxury but absolute requirements for our survival: they are no longer local problems but world wide issues. It is no longer a question whether we can pay or not pay the combat against the pollution of the earth.” (bron: onderzoek Idde Lammers naar aanleiding van 35 jaar WWF).

In 1999 bekijkt de prins in een speciale televisie-uitzending met presentator Ivo Niehe filmbeelden uit zijn privéarchief. De prins zegt in dit programma onder meer:

“Het Wereld Natuur Fonds heeft teleurstellingen gehad, maar ook heel behoorlijke successen; we hebben echt een aantal diersoorten helemaal kunnen redden.”

(december 2004)