9 September 2016 - Movie star Li Bingbing, a goodwill ambassador for UN Environment, has assembled a powerful force of Chinese megastars, with 160 million social media followers between them, to support a global United Nations campaign to help end the illegal trade in wildlife.
#WildforLife, launched today in China, is now backed by actor Huang Bo, coach of China's gold medal women's volleyball team Lang Ping, investor Li Kaifu, fashion powerhouse Su Mang, Olympic gold medal badminton player Lin Dan and pop star Wang Junkai. Renowned pianist and United Nations Messenger for Peace Lang Lang has also thrown his weight behind the campaign.
"Many do not realize that ivory comes from dead elephants and that by buying ivory, they may be playing a role in the illegal wildlife trade, supporting criminal groups and pushing elephants closer to extinction," said Li Bingbing, who is fighting for elephants. "This new campaign will not allow ignorance, indifference, fashion or status to serve as an excuse."
The illegal trade in wildlife is a global problem that threatens species great and small, such as elephants, rhinos, tigers, pangolins, sea turtles and Rosewood. The #WildforLife campaign, which calls on the public to find their kindred species and use their own sphere of influence to end the trade, has engaged millions of people already.
As the campaign launched, UN Environment chief Erik Solheim opened an exhibition of Wild for Life at Beijing Capital International Airport, the second-busiest airport in the world by passenger numbers.
The campaign will run across the airport, including on hundreds of boarding screens, to alert Chinese and international travellers to the issue. Beijing airport has supported UN Environment on such issues for three years.
"The illegal trade in wildlife is threatening precious species, robbing countries of their natural heritage and profiting criminals," Mr. Solheim said. "You do not need to be a wildlife ranger or politician to do your part.
"Not buying illegal wildlife products, and taking part in the global movement that is Wild for Life, can also help ensure that the animals we love, and upon which communities depend, are here for centuries to come."
The Great Elephant Census, released last week, emphasized how bad the problem has become, showing that poaching has driven a 30 per cent decrease in African savanna elephants over just four years.
Three rhinos are killed every day, and the Western Black Rhino has already gone extinct. Pangolins - scaly anteaters - are the most illegally trafficked mammal in the world. Great Apes are already locally extinct in several African nations.
Profits from the illegal wildlife trade sometimes go into the pockets of international criminal networks, threatening peace and security, and damaging the livelihoods of local communities who depend on tourism.
Stopping this trade is also crucial to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as it threatens countries' biodiversity, people's livelihoods, and disturbs peace.
"From the time I learned that piano keys were often made of ivory, and that elephants were being killed at industrial levels to feed the demand for ivory, I vowed to play only on pianos that used substitute materials," said Lang Lang. "We love music and art because we love beauty. Imagine a world without any green spaces, without elephants. Let's strive for harmony in the choices we make."
#WildforLife aims to mobilize millions of people to make commitments and take action to end the illegal trade. The campaign is run by UN Environment, the UN Development Programme, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Join the campaign by visiting wildfor.life and using the #WildforLife hashtag on Twitter to share your kindred animal and pledge.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Other celebrity supporters of the campaign include:
- Lebanese singer and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Ragheb Alama (Helmeted Hornbill)
- Brazilian model and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Gisele Bündchen (Sea Turtle)
- Bahraini-Sri Lankan actress Jacqueline Fernandez (Tiger)
- Indonesian-Australian model, Great Apes Survival Partnership Ambassador, Nadya Hutagalung (Orangutan)
- Vietnamese pop singer Thu Minh (Rhino)
- Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr. (Tiger)
- US actress Nikki Reed (Rosewood
- US actor and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Ian Somerhalder (Pangolin)
- Ivorian footballer and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Yaya Touré (Elephant)
