A tiger photographed in Ranthambore National Park in Rajashthan, India.

(Aditya Singh/Barcroft India/Getty Images)

At a Glance

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) highlighted some of the organization's biggest wins for 2016.Several species under threat had a better outlook in 2016.

Despite a year that seemed to be full of bad news for the planet, there were several big wins when it comes to conservation and the .

"Together, we pushed for new regulations to help shut down the illegal elephant ivory trade within our borders and to stop wildlife crime overseas. We saw global wild tiger numbers rise for the first time in 100 years, and we put a stop to oil and gas drilling exploration near Belize’s barrier reef," the WWF noted. "And while there’s still work to be done, this past year has shown us that when we work together, we can challenge the threats to nature and help ensure its ability to provide—for the sake of every living thing."

Biggest Wins for Several Species Under Threat

For the first time in a century, from 3,200 in 2010 to around 3,890. The WWF attributes much of this from its work with governments, law enforcement and local communities to advocate zero tolerance for tiger poaching across Asia.

In addition, with the encouragement of 451,000 WWF supporters, the , making it "more difficult for captive-bred tigers to filter into and stimulate the illegal wildlife trade that threatens wild tigers in Asia."

(MORE:)

The non-profit sees another win for , after an international agreement was reachedat the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The agreement holds countries accountable for monitoring, regulating and banning the international trade of species under threat.

Zimbabwe game reserve guide Matius Mhambe holds 'Marimba', a female pangolin weighing 10kgs that has been nine years in care at Wild Is Life animal sanctuary just outside the country's capital Harare, on September 22, 2016. They are ordinarily reclusive and often don't make the headlines, but pangolins are the world's most heavily trafficked mammal and conservationists want their protection scaled up. Demand for pangolin meat and body parts is fueling a bloodbath and driving the secretive scaly ant-eating mammals to near extinction.

(JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images)

It was a big year for the giant panda. Downgraded from "Endangered" to "Vulnerable" on the global list of species at risk of extinction, the population of the black and white between 2004 and 2014 when a census found 1,864 giant pandas living in the wild in China.

The United States finalized new regulations that will help shut down within its borders and put an end to wildlife crime overseas. Now, the burden of proof in determining if a piece of ivory is legal falls on the seller. This improvement puts U.S. consumers at ease, knowing that when they purchase ivory products, they are not complicit in the poaching of elephants.

On April 26, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the , making the iconic species that was once on the brink of extinction the national mammal of the United States.

A herd of bison run on the 1,000 acres of prairie land November 1, 2015 at Soapstone Prairie Natural Area. Ten genetically pure bisons, nine cows and one bull calf, were released into a 1,000 acre fenced prairie from their pen.

(Brent Lewis/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Wins For the Planet

After the WWF and 225,000 advocates opposed drilling in the Arctic’s Beaufort and Chukchi seas due to the tremendous risk to indigenous communities, wildlife and their environment, off Alaska's northern coast for at least the next five years.

Further south, officials in for offshore oil and gas exploration near a World Heritage Site after "an outcry from concerned citizens, national civil society groups and international conservation organizations—including WWF—and their supporters."

(MORE:)

Most conservation groups, including WWF, see the as one of the planet's biggest wins of 2016. Nearly 200 nations, including the United States, signed the agreement that went into force in November and aims to keep global warming to well below 2°C, or even 1.5°C.

To see more of WWF's year in review, you can visit their website .

MORE ON WEATHER.COM:Hawaii - Endangered Species