Partnerships:
A Fragile Population
By Petra Buchanan

Actor Brad Pitt in the film "Growing up Grizzly".

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) 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 worldwide: the United Nations; the Earth Communications Office (ECO), a non-profit organization 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 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. 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, Asia, Europe, India and Latin America. Profiling the plight of animals, ranging from dolphins to polar bears, 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.

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 programme, 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 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.

Links:
Earth Communications Office
Animal Planet
World Animal Day
UN Works

Petra Buchanan is Vice-President of Communications and Public Affairs of the Discovery Networks, International.