Transcript
[ Music ]
>> Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome Ginette Hemley,
Senior Vice President,
Wildlife Conservation at WWF.
Senior Vice President,
Wildlife Conservation at WWF.
[ Applause ]
>> Good afternoon, well I'm
really excited to be here
because this is not the type
of audience I usually address.
I'm not a developer,
as you've heard,
I'm head of Wildlife
Conservation
at World Wildlife Fund, which is
the leading organization working
globally to protect wild
places and wild species
and to reduce the human
footprint on the planet.
WWF has been around
for more than 50 years.
We work in more than 100
countries and we have more
than 6 million members
worldwide.
I'm usually talking to audiences
of conservation scientists
or policymakers like congress
or donors and supporters.
But one of the things
I want to talk to you
about today is how we're
beginning to use technology
to help save the planet and
to help conserve wildlife.
to help save the planet and
to help conserve wildlife.
And it may surprise you to hear
about some of the interesting
and new ways we're using
technology to save wildlife.
But first, I want to
step back and take a look
at the state of the planet.
We don't hear a lot of good
news on this front these days,
we are in fact facing
unprecedented declines of some
of the world's most
magnificent wildlife.
But we're also on the cusp of
some amazing wildlife recoveries
and I'm going to tell you
about some of those today.
But first, here's the backdrop.
Our living planet
report tells us
that in the last 40 years
we've lost half the populations
of the world's vertebrate
species.
That's mammals, birds,
reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
It's affecting many of our most
iconic species, including rhinos
and tigers and elephants.
Why is this happening?
The reason it's happening
is twofold, habitat loss
and degradation and
illegal hunting or poaching.
Habitat loss is driven mainly
by agricultural expansion due
to growing human numbers,
the demand for food
and for commodities like
soy and palm oil and sugar.
Also developing infrastructure
like roads
and generally growing
urbanization.
And climate change is only
adding to the challenge
by creating increased
environmental stresses,
such as more intense
droughts and flooding,
which is impacting
a lot of things,
including wildlife migrations
and seasonal breeding
and feeding patterns.
Now simultaneously a
booming illegal trade
in wildlife products
is impacting some
in wildlife products
is impacting some
of our most endangered species.
This is a trade that is valued
at, at least $20 billion a year
in wildlife and wildlife
products.
Which makes it one of the
top illegal enterprises
in the world amazingly
after narcotics and weapons
and human trafficking.
And it's taking its toll on some
of our most endangered species.
For example, a surge
in the trade of ivory
in recent years has led
to the death of as many
as 30,000 elephants a year.
Are traded for their ivory,
which is consumed mainly
in Asia, but also here
in the United States.
We are a major wildlife
consuming country,
which surprises a lot of people.
By the time I finish this talk
three elephants will have been
killed illegally
for their ivory.
Now surge in poaching of rhinos
in South Africa has happened
Now surge in poaching of rhinos
in South Africa has happened
over the last decade from
13 animals killed in 2007
to over 1200 killed last year.
This is driven by
demand in Vietnam mainly,
but also in China where rhino
horn is marketed as a cure
for cancer and unbelievably
as a hangover treatment.
And this latter use is a
recent fad and is not rooted
in any kind of traditional
medicine and neither
of these uses has any
proven medical efficacy.
And in the last century
we've lost 97%
of the world's wild
tigers, we're down to
as few as 3900 in the wild.
Tigers are killed illegally for
their skins, for their bones
and other body parts,
which are used
in modern-day health tonics.
So it's a pretty grim
picture, there's no question
So it's a pretty grim
picture, there's no question
and people often ask me well
how do you not just get totally
discouraged all the
time in your work
with these horrifying statistics
and all the trends going
in the wrong direction.
And my response is well yes,
there are a lot of challenges
for sure, but we're making
important progress and in fact,
some of these trends are
beginning to be reversed.
And that is because I believe
that power and possibility.
I'm going to talk to you today
about the power of big ideas,
the power of technology, and
the power of communities.
Now I know these
are big concepts
that this conference is
famous for dealing with,
but what I want to
do today is put
into a wildlife conservation
context for you.
So let me tell you what's
happening with tigers.
Seven years ago tiger numbers
reached an all-time low.
When we look back now we realize
that something big had to happen
if tigers were going to survive.
So we came up with the idea
to hold a global summit
So we came up with the idea
to hold a global summit
on tiger conservation.
That had never been done before
for an endangered species
and we wondered if anyone
would take us seriously.
With all the pressing
problems in the world
who would care about tigers.
Well, we found an
unlikely champion
in President Vladimir Putin
of Russia who it turns
out has a soft spot for
tigers, who would have guessed.
Well, we convinced him
to invite world leaders
to a unique gathering
in St. Petersburg,
Russia to chart a path
for the tiger's recovery.
We put forward an ambitious
challenge to double the number
of tigers in the wild
by the year 2022,
which is the next
Chinese year of the tiger.
We knew what it would
take to recover tigers,
it's a pretty simple formula.
They need healthy habitat,
they need enough prey to eat
and they need to be
protected from poaching.
and they need to be
protected from poaching.
We also knew that the main
missing ingredient was
political will.
Well fortunately, the leaders
of the 13 tiger range countries
and these are the countries
where tigers are still left
in the wild agreed
and they committed
to a bold new recovery
plan for tigers.
This was the first of its kind
ever for an endangered species.
We call this TX2, Doubling
Tigers in the Wild.
And this year marks the
halfway point to 2022.
And guess what, governments
in Asia are beginning
to implement the recovery plan
and tiger numbers are
beginning to grow in the wild.
For example, tigers have been
documented for the first time
as breeding in the wild
in northeast China.
And tigers have been recorded
in places they've
never been seen before
or documented before, which
is on the border of Thailand
and Myanmar, which is where
this video of a mother
and her cubs was
taken just last year.
For the first time in a century
overall tiger numbers are
beginning to tick
upward in the wild.
If we are successful
in reaching our goal
of doubling tigers it
will be I think one
of the greatest achievements
ever in wildlife conservation.
And personally, I
believe we can do it
because I've seen this
recovery firsthand.
So 20 years ago, gosh that
was probably before a lot
of you were born.
Twenty years ago
I visited a park
in India called Ranthambore,
a tiger reserve.
in India called Ranthambore,
a tiger reserve.
It was a bad time for tigers,
poaching had hit many areas
really hard and Ranthambore,
which was once a tiger
stronghold was down to
about 10 tigers left
in the whole park.
The park was suffering
from bad management,
poor enforcement,
it was pretty bleak.
We saw almost no
wildlife at all and I left
that place thinking well there's
just no way this park can
survive with all the pressing
issues that India has to deal
with how can park
have any future.
Well this tiger named
Machali was born
about the time I
visited Ranthambore.
We didn't see her then,
but she was there in fact,
she did manage to survive.
In fact, she went
on to become one
of Ranthambore's
most famous tigers.
Well after I left Ranthambore
things got a little bit worse
in the park, but
then they got better.
The Indian government started
to invest in better enforcement,
more park rangers,
critical research
and things started
to turn around there.
And amazingly, tigers
have started to come back.
And Machali not only
did she survive she went
on to have 11 cubs with
two different mates,
one of them appropriately
called Big Daddy
because he was the
father of seven of them.
And then those cubs went
on to have another 20.
And so Machali's dynasty
includes more than 30 offspring
and many of them are
doing really well today.
Well I had the chance to go back
to Ranthambore just a few months
ago, in December of last year,
and I witnessed an
amazing transformation.
The park was teeming with life
and Ranthambore's tiger
numbers are now close to 60.
That's a number that actually
exceeds the carrying capacity
of the park, so much so that the
government is actually capturing
some tigers and relocating them
to other areas outside the park
some tigers and relocating them
to other areas outside the park
and is planning a set of new
reserves for these tigers.
And that's unprecedented
in recent tiger conservation
history.
So I believe we can double the
number of tigers in the wild
if governments
and conservationists help
create the necessary conditions.
Perhaps the boldest idea
in tiger conservation today is
bringing tigers back to places
where they've become extinct.
And this is what Cambodia
is planning to do.
This photo was taken in 2007
and it's the last known
tiger in Cambodia.
None have been seen there since.
Well just three months ago the
Cambodian government announced a
plan to bring tigers back to
the eastern plains landscape
of the country, which is a
very biologically diverse area,
there's still a lot of
habitat, tigers can live there,
it's under pretty
serious threat,
but there's enough
habitat for tigers.
And we are working with
the Cambodian government
And we are working with
the Cambodian government
in several ways to help prepare
for this possible
reintroduction.
We're working to help bring
back the prey species,
such as the sambar
dear, kouprey,
which is a type of wild cattle.
These are important species
for the tigers to eat.
It happens to also be that
these species are popular
with local people and a lot
of them have been hunted
out because of poor enforcement.
So we're helping to
bring these species back
and also helping the government
to increase its enforcement
in this area because tigers and
their prey will never survive
without good enforcement.
And we're also working to
prepare the local people
for the prospect of
living next to one
of the world's great predators.
Interestingly, in our
conservation work with wildlife
as human populations grow
we have increasing conflict
with people.
It's happening all over the
world, but also interestingly
in Cambodia, there's
a lot of local support
for bringing tigers
back as it turns out.
Because tigers have
always been a popular part
Because tigers have
always been a popular part
of Cambodian culture
and natural history.
Well if all goes well the
government of Cambodia hopes
to get eight tigers from India
in 2019 for release to the wild.
It's a long and complicated
road ahead and it's not
without controversy or risk,
but if it happens it will be one
of the most exciting
developments I think
in wildlife conservation.
Well I'm happy to say that
rhinos are also recovering
in parts of their range.
Whole new populations
actually are being established
by physically moving these
prehistoric looking animals
to help set up safe
new homes for them
where their numbers can grow.
And I want to show you a video
of a big idea that's playing
out in South Africa where
incredibly the safest way
to physically move these
animals is to tranquilize them
and lift them up by
helicopter for transport by air
and lift them up by
helicopter for transport by air
on a journey that would
otherwise take many hours
if not days by road.
>> Black rhino and
rhinos generally are
under huge pressure.
We really have to
fight for them.
If they don't have champions
they're doomed to disappear.
[ Music ]
And this is the kindest
way we've yet discovered
of moving a rhino from
the field to a vehicle.
>> It's a big operation, it's a
lot of animals to try and move
in a really short time.
>> There are no roads, there
is no access whatsoever.
You know, most of these
parts are wilderness area.
[ Music ]
>> The WWF Black Rhino
Range Expansion Project aims
to boost the growth rate
of the black rhino
populations of South Africa.
[ Music ]
>> It's become a passion, it's
not just a job it's a passion
and yeah, it gets
into your soul.
>> There hasn't really been
an operation of this nature
with 20 black rhino
conducted in South Africa.
[ Music ]
>> It's a bit sad to let them
go, you get attached to them.
The field rangers
know them by name.
>> Every single one is
different, you know,
it's a wild animal that's
completely unpredictable.
>> We're really glad for them
because we think it's a --
we know that it's critical
and it's extremely important.
we know that it's critical
and it's extremely important.
[ Music ]
>> Over 1400 kilometer journey,
it's the longest journey
I've ever done with rhinos.
>> The black rhino coming back
in this area it was
a very big thing.
[ Music ]
>> This has been a very
good cooperative thing
because we've got Eastern Cape
parks, we've got SANParks,
we've got [inaudible]
wildlife and of course, WWF.
>> And I think it
could only work
because all the different
parties are so passionate.
>> It's a huge thing too to see
them for the first time coming
to this particular area here.
[ Music ]
>> There's no doubt that
this project has made a huge
difference to rhino
conservation in South Africa.
[ Music ]
[ Applause ]
>> So in the midst of a poaching
epidemic that's hitting parts
of the country whole new rhino
populations are being created
through this extraordinary
method building a future
for the species in South Africa.
Well another country that is
pioneering rhino translocations
is Nepal where it has
increased its populations
of greater one horned
rhino, another species,
from 400 animals about 10 years
ago to 650 today and it hopes
to get 800 by 2020 and
it's well on its way.
Because of the dense forest
that this species lives
in the more traditional method
of moving them by truck is used
and the latest rhino
translocations took place
in Nepal in March of this year
when eight rhinos were moved
in Nepal in March of this year
when eight rhinos were moved
from one national
park to another.
And I want to show you a video
of a rhino getting
introduced to its new home.
See it, has a bit a hard time
getting out of the truck.
Finally out.
It gives you a sense
of how powerful these
two ton animals are.
Well there's wonderful evidence
that these recently translocated
rhinos are doing well.
Just three weeks ago
one of them gave birth
Just three weeks ago
one of them gave birth
to this adorable little
guy who is also getting
to know his new home
for the first time.
Well, sometimes big ideas
need to be backed by the power
of technology and we are
increasingly using tech
in our work, on the ground, in
the cloud, information sharing,
crowdsourcing to the
Internet of things
and all the sensors
that are part of it.
There's no question that
technology is helping to fortify
and accelerate many of our
wildlife conservation efforts.
But just for a larger context,
when I first went to Ranthambore
in India, the human
population of India was
about a billion people.
India is projected to add
another half billion people
to its population by 2050.
In Africa, the human
population is expected to double
by the year 2015 and double
again by the end of the century.
Technology needs to
help conservation adapt
to this crowded new world.
So let me show you some of
the ways that we're using tech
in our work from new tracking
methods of wildlife using DNA
to detecting and deterring
poaching using thermal cameras
and drones.
So our work tracking
wildlife has come a long way.
We used to rely on pugmarks
to footprints or scat,
which are animal droppings
to count and monitor animals
and that was very laborious
and pretty imprecise.
So camera traps have become
kind of the mainstream way
of monitoring animals
in the natural habitat.
Camera traps are cameras set
up remotely that are triggered
by a motion sensor when an
animal crosses its path.
And these are especially useful
for species that are most active
at night like lions or species
that have distinctive markings
like a brown hyena where
you can identify individuals
by their markings and
the same with tigers.
by their markings and
the same with tigers.
In fact, the latest tiger
surveys have relied on thousands
and thousands of
images from camera traps
that are giving us the latest
tiger population trends.
And as cameras become lighter
and smaller they are
giving us a wonderful window
into what the world looks like
from an animal's perspective.
And videos like this help
us understand how species
like turtles are
using their habitat,
which helps us understand
how to protect them better.
They are also great tools
for raising awareness.
This video has been viewed
by millions of people,
it's gone viral and it's been a
very popular one that's really
helped connect people to
turtles in a unique way.
And innovative uses of GPS
technology are helping us
to understand where wildlife
is going, their daily movements
and their seasonal migrations.
One of our scientists made
a cool discovery in 2012
by putting special
satellite collars
with the latest GPS
technology on a group
of eight zebras he discovered
that they moved from a part
of northern Namibia to
the middle of Botswana,
about 200 miles south.
And this turns out to be the
longest known terrestrial
migration in Africa and
it's amazing to think
that as recently as just
four years ago we didn't know
about the longest land
migration in Africa
and this technology
made that possible.
So here's an animation of the
zebras moving over the course
of about six or seven months.
Each colored dot represents
an individual zebra.
They start in this
northern part of Namibia
and they start moving south
as the wet season comes on.
You'll see the dark green
background indicating the wet
season is coming.
They move south pretty
quickly to a special place
where it turns out they eat a
very nutritious grass during the
where it turns out they eat a
very nutritious grass during the
wet season.
They hang out there for about
10 weeks and then they kind
of start meandering
back up north
to the place from
where they came.
It takes them a little
longer to get back up,
but they finally end up back
when the dry season comes
to their preferred
habitat in Namibia.
And the importance of this
data is that we can now use it
to advocate for protecting
the species
through its whole
migration corridor
and thus preserve the
lifecycle of the herd
in this particular area.
Well, one of the most
recent developments
that I'm most excited
about is the use
of thermal imaging cameras to
help identify poaching threats.
Thermal cameras are also known
as infrared cameras
detect the heat emitted
from a person or an animal.
And in a pilot we're undertaking
in Africa we're pairing
these cameras with software
in Africa we're pairing
these cameras with software
that is able to distinguish
an animal from a person.
So when a person crosses
into a park illegally
or inappropriately the software
automatically sends a signal
to enforcement authorities.
Since these cameras were
installed a few weeks ago,
they're put on poles actually
and they have a viewing range
of 2 miles, up to 2
miles, a huge range.
And since they were installed
they have detected several
intruders in this
particular area
and one suspected
poacher has been arrested.
And let me show you the
video of the poacher
or suspected poacher
who was arrested.
You see him walking
along the fence line,
which is the border of the park.
He's looking for a way to get
into the park inappropriately.
Finally finds a way, jumps
over and he's in the park.
And that red box around him
is what triggers the signal,
the alert that's sent
to enforcement authorities
who later nabbed him.
to enforcement authorities
who later nabbed him.
So if this technology
is successful,
if this pilot works we hope
to scale it to other areas
where we think it could
have a really good use
in perimeter security
around protected areas.
Well remember I said earlier we
started our work years ago using
footprints as a way to track
animals and count them.
Well we're still
using footprints,
but these days we're
extracting DNA from them.
Through advances in DNA
technology an amazing amount
of information can be drawn
from a polar bear footprint
in the snow, including
the gender of the animal
and incredibly what it
had for its last meal.
So as we're working
with DNA experts
to refine this technology
and get the cost down.
But this has the potential
to revolutionize
how we track animals
in their natural habitats and
it's particularly useful --
it could be useful for species
like polar bears who live
it could be useful for species
like polar bears who live
in very extreme environments,
making them extremely difficult
to study and very
expensive to study.
So this is exciting as well.
Well, we've been hearing
a lot about drones
in so many different ways
and drones are a big part
of our work in conservation.
There's been a lot of
hype about them as well.
The challenge we have with
using drones in conservation is
to develop civilian level
systems of drones that have some
of the similar capabilities
as military drones,
but at a fraction of the cost,
otherwise they're just
never going to be used
by park managers and
conservationists.
So we're experimenting
with these different sort
of downscaled systems of
using different approaches
and for different needs.
For example, we're using
them to map colonies
of prairie dogs here
in United States.
Prairie dogs happen to
be the main prey species
Prairie dogs happen to
be the main prey species
for the most endangered
mammal in North America,
which is the black-footed
ferrets.
So by knowing where prairie dogs
live we know where ferrets live
or have the potential to live
so we can thus help better
develop recovery efforts
for them.
We're also using drones to
help identify poaching threats
and address poaching in Africa.
Well the challenge
we've had with drones is
that they are probably
best used and best function
as reactionary tools or
devices that are deployed
when another sensor is set
off somewhere else in the area
that the drones can
then help pinpoint
where potential illegal
activity is taking place.
In fact, drones because
right now the viewing
of the videos is not as broad
as it could be the range.
We are now working to
try to get those improved
We are now working to
try to get those improved
so that more can be
seen from a drone.
We're also trying to
develop software much
like with the thermal cameras
that can help us identify people
from animals and thus, send
alerts automatically to rangers.
So we're continuing to
evolve our work with drones
and they certainly have a
role to play in different ways
if we can get the
capabilities improved.
We're also continuing to think
of new ideas to help some
of our challenges and I wanted
to share a couple that are
in their early stages
of development.
These are wire snares, snares
are one of the greatest hazards
to wildlife everywhere.
Literally millions and
millions of them are used
around the world and they
are creating real havoc
for wildlife.
They're easy, unfortunately
they're inexpensive
and relatively easy to use
and we need to find a way
to detect them better, so
that rangers can collect them.
In fact, in one park in
Malawi last year just
In fact, in one park in
Malawi last year just
to give you a sense of
how widely these are used.
Malawi is a country in Africa,
13,000 snares were collected
over an eight month period
and that probably wasn't all
that were in this
particular park.
So what we're doing is we're
experimenting with types
of radar to try to map where
snares are because they're made
of metal we can use
radar we hope.
Potentially positioned
from drones,
so that rangers can
more easily find them
and go out and collect them.
And if we can do this
in a cost-effective way it could
be a huge gain for wildlife.
Snares typically grab
an animal by its leg
and inflict a lot of injury.
Sometimes it'll grab them
by the neck like this zebra,
fortunately the zebra
was able to survive,
but often species do not.
We're also working on a gunshot
detector to help pinpoint
where poaching is happening.
And we got the idea from
a tool called ShotSpotter,
And we got the idea from
a tool called ShotSpotter,
which we actually read about
in the Washington Post.
ShotSpotter is used by police
departments to try to pinpoint
where gunshots are happening
in cities through audio sensors
that are placed on buildings.
We called up the Washington DC
Police Department who invited us
down to see ShotSpotter
in action.
We sat in the command center
looking at this big screen
as pins dropped in real time
as shots were going
off around the city.
It was quite a surreal
experience.
The challenge we have on
the wildlife front is,
where do you put
sensors, audio sensors,
in a vast national park?
No buildings there,
huge territory.
Well the idea that we're working
on is to place the detector
on a special collar
fitted on an elephant
that could help rangers
quickly come to an area
where maybe an animal
has been shot
and if it's only wounded they
may stand a better chance
of saving it than
they otherwise would
of saving it than
they otherwise would
and it could prevent
further killing of the herd.
Also it could be
a good deterrent
by simply seeing this device
on the elephant poachers
may stay away.
This could be a great
tool for conservation,
but right now the costs
are a pretty significant
limiting factor.
Well none of this really
promising technology can replace
people on the ground,
the rangers,
the enforcement officers,
the communities
who are really critical
to protecting wildlife.
In fact, it's often the people
who live closest to the wildlife
who are its greatest guardians.
I mentioned earlier
the country of Nepal
and its successful rhino
conservation efforts.
A lot of that success is due
to the direct involvement
of communities and conservation.
Nepal has achieved
a remarkable record.
Nepal has achieved
a remarkable record.
In fact, in the last six
years, four of those years,
Nepal has had zero
poaching of rhinos.
This is an amazing
achievement at a time
when rhino poaching
is happening,
big rates everywhere
in the world.
The reason for this
is the involvement
of local communities, big
commitments from the government,
but particularly communities
have set up informer networks
that share critical tips
on illegal activities
and help track poaching
and illegal trading
activities in wildlife.
And in fact, one notorious rhino
smuggler was recently prosecuted
in Nepal after community
members collected information
and they banded together
to turn him in.
And he's now serving
a seven year sentence,
which is a long sentence
for a wildlife crime.
which is a long sentence
for a wildlife crime.
In the country of Namibia all
the trends that you're seeing
across Africa have been bucked
in this country and that is due
to the involvement of
communities and conservation.
Namibia has actually seen
growth almost across the board
of its wildlife populations
in the last 20 years
and its elephant numbers have in
fact tripled since the 1990's.
At a time when unfortunately
numbers have plummeted
in most other countries
in Africa.
And this is because communities
are directly involved
in conservation as the
managers and stewards
of the wildlife there.
Legislation in Namibia
gives communities the right
and the responsibility to
manage wildlife resources
under their jurisdictions.
It also allows them
to benefit directly
from the revenues associated
with wildlife related
activities like ecotourism.
This gives them a direct
incentive in and stake
This gives them a direct
incentive in and stake
in conservation and that
has made all the difference.
This is truly a model program
for both wildlife conservation
and world development
and in fact,
a lot of countries
are looking to Namibia
to learn how they're doing it
so they can also adopt some
of these same practices.
While communities of
another sort are helping us
to address the needed
reforms and policies in some
of the most important
wildlife consuming countries.
That letter that was up
there is called Chor Chang,
it is a letter in
the Thai alphabet.
It also happens to
be the first letter
for the word elephant in Thai.
We asked people in
Thailand, which happens
to be the world's second
largest market for ivory,
to help raise awareness
about the illegal ivory trade
by trying to imagine a
world without elephants.
by trying to imagine a
world without elephants.
By symbolically erasing
the letter Chor Chang
from their names.
This campaign went viral, over
a million people participated.
They posted pictures
of their name online
without the letter Chor
Chang in it on Facebook,
on Twitter, on Instagram.
And result was huge public
pressure on the Thai government
to crack down on the
illegal ivory trade
and to reform its ivory
trade laws and they did.
It was a big success.
Just two weeks ago here in
this country our own federal
government announced a new
regulation, a final regulation
to ban almost all
commercial trade
of ivory in the United States.
Something we've been working
on for more than three years.
This regulation was
partly made real
This regulation was
partly made real
by huge public outpouring
of support for it.
In fact, WWF was
able to generate more
than a million signatures
on an online petition,
which is the most the
governments ever received
from an organization
on a wildlife issue.
And the significance of
this regulation is not only
because the U.S. is one of
the top five ivory markets
in the world, it has also
prompted similar action
in China, the world's
largest market for ivory.
In fact, one of our big
breakthroughs last year was a
joint commitment by President
Obama and President Xi of China
to take action against
the illegal ivory trade
and we're beginning to see
that commitment implemented.
And I'm really happy to share
that just a week
ago China announced
at the U.S. China strategic
and economic dialogue talks
at the U.S. China strategic
and economic dialogue talks
in Beijing that they
will announce by the end
of this year a timetable
for shutting
down their domestic
ivory market.
This is a huge deal
for conservation.
If China makes good
on its commitment
and we will do everything we
can to ensure that they do,
it will be a game changer
for Africa's elephants.
[ Applause ]
So inspiring people to
actively participate
in conservation issues
is a really critical part
of our strategy at WWF.
And new technologies
are making this possible
in ways we never
dreamed of before.
We first entered the app world,
your world, three years ago
with the launch of WWF Together.
On the iPad, it's now
also on the iPhone.
It's an app that
introduces people to animals
from around the world through
stunning visuals and video,
the art of origami
and interactives
that use embedded Apple
technologies like the camera
and the accelerometer.
[ Music ]
[ Applause ]
We were thrilled to be
invited to this stage in 2012,
We were thrilled to be
invited to this stage in 2012,
to accept the Apple
design award for this app.
Our work in close collaboration
with Apple actually started last
year with a conservation project
in China to protect up to
a million acres of forest.
That important work led to an
initiative to engage hundreds
of millions of people through
the largest Earth Day promotion
ever called Apps for Earth.
Hopefully many of you saw
this, well actually some
of you participated in
a very significant way
in this ten-day promotion
led by Apple in April.
Twenty four developers
created unique app contents
with conservation messages
about the importance
with conservation messages
about the importance
of conserving natural
resources and wildlife
and finding solutions to some
of the most pressing
threats to our planet.
People around the world could
play Angry Birds 2 and shoot
down greedy pigs who were
overfishing the ocean.
Or in Star Wars Galaxy of
Heroes buy a pack of Ewoks
to help save the
forest moon Endor.
Or challenge friends and
family at Trivia Crack
to test their knowledge of some
of the most important issues
of our time, such
as climate change.
We reached millions of people
with critical conservation
messages.
And we also raised critical
funding for conservation.
In fact, I am super excited to
be able to share with you today
that Apps for Earth raised over
$8 million for conservation.
that Apps for Earth raised over
$8 million for conservation.
[ Applause ]
This is unprecedented, it's
a huge deal for conservation
and this critical funding
will go to help advance some
of the initiatives you've heard
about today like doubling tigers
in the wild and protecting
forest and saving coral reefs.
It's a huge deal.
We are so grateful to everyone
who participated and especially,
to Apple who made
it all possible.
If we can do this kind of thing
together just imagine what we
can do if we continue to
apply our most creative ideas
in support of conservation.
We're making important progress,
but there's so much more to do.
To save everything we need
everyone and there are a lot
of critical challenges that the
tech industry can help with.
There's no question that
technology has a critical role
to play in our vision
for saving the planet.
to play in our vision
for saving the planet.
We need your help to
address the digital divide,
the lack of connectivity
in remote areas
where conservation happens,
which are often beyond the reach
of the global system for
mobile communication.
And we need your help to develop
smaller, less expensive devices
with longer battery times so
that we can track all the users
in a protected area, both
the animals and the people,
and transmit data in real time
to conservation scientists
and managers.
And as the technology
of the Internet
of things develops
we need your help
to deploy it in conservation.
And we need your help to
find the most innovative ways
to reach people everywhere
with compelling stories
about conservation to get
them onboard with our mission.
Nature and all the wonderful
wildlife that is part
Nature and all the wonderful
wildlife that is part
of it is powerful and resilient
and it will respond and rebound
if given half a chance.
Technology can help do that,
as can all of us in this room
when we share ideas
and work together.
And we at WWF look
forward to that.
Thank you.
[ Applause ]