A fragile population. (Partnerships).More than 100 species are lost every day. Approximately 40,000 become extinct every year and thousands more are at risk. These statistics from the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP UNEP United Nations Environment Program(me) UNEP Unbundled Network Element Platform UNEP University of Northeastern Philippines ) Global Environmental Outlook 2000 are largely unknown to most people around the world. The loss of so many species each year provided the impetus for a unique alliance, with a mission to raise awareness globally about animal protection and general conservation. In early 2001, three global organizations came together in an integrated promotional partnership to generate awareness for conservation and biodiversity biodiversity: see biological diversity. biodiversity Quantity of plant and animal species found in a given environment. Sometimes habitat diversity (the variety of places where organisms live) and genetic diversity (the variety of traits expressed worldwide: the United Nations; the Earth Communications Office (EGO), a non-profit organization A non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is a legally constituted organization whose primary objective is to support or to actively engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit purposes. that uses the power of communication to improve the global environment; and Animal Planet, a global television brand of Discovery Communications, Inc. Centred around Animal Planet's annual worldwide programming event, held on 7 October--World Animal Day--the result is a case study on how organizations with a shared commitment can leverage their unique resources to address critical issues facing our world. For the past five years, World Animal Day has helped educate viewers to the plight of endangered en·dan·ger tr.v. en·dan·gered, en·dan·ger·ing, en·dan·gers 1. To expose to harm or danger; imperil. 2. To threaten with extinction. creatures through a special day of non-fiction programming. Animal Planet's unique brand of entertainment focuses on humankind's connection with the animal world, providing an ideal platform for World Animal Day's mission of increased awareness of conservation issues. In 2001, the event took on even greater scope, depth and reach, through the efforts and resources of the United Nations and ECO E·co , Umberto Born 1932. Italian writer best known for his novels, including The Name of the Rose (1981). He has also written extensively on semiotics and British and American popular culture. . Providing the basis for the World Animal Day project was an extensive slate of original programmes developed by Animal Planet teams in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , Asia, Europe, India and Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. . Profiling the plight of animals, ranging from dolphins to polar bears polar bear, large white bear, Ursus maritimus, formerly Thalarctos maritimus, of the coasts of arctic North America. Polar bears usually live on drifting pack ice, but sometimes wander long distances inland. , the line-up also included Hollywood star-power, with programmes hosted by Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor and Robin Williams. Leading up to the 7 October programming event, Animal Planet ran special promotional segments regarding the UN/ECO partnership, as well as public service announcements developed by ECO for the event. Animal Planet's regional Web sites also provided links to United Nations and ECO Web sites, where people could learn more about important conservation issues and endangered species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. . The keys to the success of any good partnership are the complementary strengths each partner brings to bear. Where Animal Planet provided the reach of a well-recognized brand and informative and entertaining content, the United Nations and ECO provided authoritative voices and global perspective on the dangers that face our natural world. The United Nations provided valuable access to information, including a Web site through the UN Works The UN Works Program is a unit of the United Nations’ (UN) Educational Outreach Section that puts a human face on the work of the UN by focusing on real people and their stories. programme <www.un.org/works>, about projects that promote species conservation, habitat protection and biodiversity. It also included links to educational information and projects developed by UNEP, the United Nations Development Programme and their global partners. These resources added greater depth of information to the subjects featured in the World Animal Day programming. In addition, the United Nations distributed information regarding the World Animal Day project to more than seventy UN information centres around the world and over 500 environmental journalists, thus increasing exposure for the initiative and its important messages. ECO leveraged its prominent constituency to reach members of the conservation, scientific and entertainment communities. It provided compelling public service announcements to air on Animal Planet for the World Animal Day initiative, offering viewers access to a wealth of complimentary information. ECO also included special links on its Web site, offering people the opportunity to learn more about World Animal Day. This editorial opens with some staggering numbers, so it is fitting that it closes the same way. During World Animal Day 2001. millions of people visited the Web sites of the participating organizations. Programming and public service announcements on Animal Planet reached 144 million homes in 71 countries and territories. By working together, the United Nations, the Earth Communications Office and Animal Planet were able to reach millions of people worldwide, helping to increase awareness of the fragile nature of the earth's animal populations. Unlike our natural world that is threatened by increasing human populations and shrinking habitats, there is no danger of overcrowding overcrowding overcrowding of animal accommodation. Many countries now publish codes of practice which define what the appropriate volumetric allowances should be for each species of animal when they are housed indoors. Breaches of these codes is overcrowding. when it comes to organizations sharing a commitment and their resources to help our environment or for other worthy causes. The true danger lies in not doing so. Petra Buchanan is Vice-President of Communications and Public Affairs Those public information, command information, and community relations activities directed toward both the external and internal publics with interest in the Department of Defense. Also called PA. See also command information; community relations; public information. of the Discovery Networks, International. |
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