For more than five decades, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been a champion for the preservation of natural habitats. Despite WWF’s many successful campaigns and efforts, the current situation of our environment is rather bleak. According to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2018, the size of populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians has declined 60% in the last 50 years. The World Wildlife Fund is more than ever dedicated to its mission to protect and restore nature. Reason enough to ask WWF about its upcoming projects and plans to save the world.
RsL: What WWF projects and campaigns can we expect for 2019?
WWF: Some anticipated projects that you can expect for 2019 are Earth Hour, the launch of Our Planet that is in collaboration with Netflix, and the plastics campaign.
Some information about these campaigns: Earth Hour is the world’s largest grassroots movement for the environment. This year’s Earth Hour focused on raising awareness of the importance of nature. You can find some quick facts about Earth Hour here.
The plastics campaign asks people to sign a petition that asks world’s governments to take action for a UN agreement to end plastics leakage into the seas by 2030.
Our Planet, a Netflix series, is created in collaboration with Silverback Productions and WWF that features jaw-dropping nature stories, grounded in the best science, and highlights the most pressing challenges facing nature today.
The main goal we are working towards is the upcoming “Super year” 2020 where we aim to inspire the world to act to show governments and key decision-making bodies that nature matters and we have to protect it. Based on our goals, we decided 5 pillars that will support it in 2019: Brand revolution, Earth Hour, Education, Living Planet Report, and Our Planet.
RsL: What do you hope to accomplish with Our Planet?
WWF: WWF’s Living Planet Report 2018, released in November 2018, presents the stark reality of the impact humans are having on our planet. The report shows that global populations of vertebrate species have declined, on average, by 60 percent since 1970, due in large part to human activities. We now have the solutions and technology to reverse this trend, which involves a transition to a more sustainable use of the planet’s resources. But it is also clear that continued degradation of our planet is unsustainable and will be to the detriment of humanity, as well as the other species and wild places.
Our Planet shows the beauty and wonder of the natural world, but it also highlights the fragility of the planet and the negative impacts of humankind. It shows a path forward by pointing to solutions, so audiences come away understanding not just the threats that face our planet, but also what we can do to save it. The powerful message it conveys will dovetail with a unique opportunity to call on global leaders to commit to urgent action to protect the one place we call home, sending the clear message that it is no longer acceptable to continue to destroy our environment and that urgent action is needed.
RsL: Documentaries are a suitable medium to raise awareness, but movies are more popular and have a much larger audience. Has WWF ever considered producing feature (theatrical) films with stories regarding environmental issues?
WWF: We are not aware of such considerations.
RsL: In the past, WWF has released charity albums like No One’s Gonna Change Our World and Environmentally Sound: A Select Anthology of Songs Inspired by the Earth. Are any other albums planned for the near future?
WWF: We have no plans as of now.
RsL: How important are social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook for your campaigns? Which one has proven to be the most effective and gave you the best results?
WWF: WWF has over 25 million social media followers. Social media channels are very important for WWF to reach the right audiences with our conservation campaigns. We have a robust audience journey planned for supporters who join our social media channels.
The channel that will be most effective completely depends on the campaign goals. At WWF we believe in continuous testing to see if the messages are resonating with the audience on that particular social media platform. We like to keep the experience on the social media channel rather than driving people out of the experience.
Thanks to Kirmaine Chen and Michael Parsons for the interview!
For more information click on the links below:
LINK: WWF
LINK: Plastics Petition
LINK: Earth Hour Facts
LINK: Our Planet
LINK: WWF’s Living Planet Report 2018
LINK: Silverback Films
