WIF was started in 1979 as an international non governmental organization in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. WIF has since inception implemented 620 projects in 26 countries.

In 2012 WIF decided to focus on climate change and initiated a 3 years research project on mangrove restoration in Myanmar in cooperation with Pathein University and Myeik University. This was followed by establishing Thor Heyerdahl Climate Park on 2200 Ha destroyed mangrove forest. Today, WIF has undertaken to restore and conserve 100,000 Ha land in Myanmar and is in consultation with international partners ready to expand to other countries for maximum impact on climate change.