WWF - Summarised Notes

Earlier this week, my partner did a fantastic job in looking through the WWF report and extracting out the most important information that we will surely be incorporating into our animation. And now it's my turn to get some new mood boards and visual research done, so that we can finally get some concepts done for next week's session.

But first! Here are some of the helpful notes that she sent me, so that I could better understand what this brief was actually focusing upon:

Human well being depends on natural resources such as water, arable lands, fish, wood and ecosystem services such as pollination, nutrient cycling and erosion control. Ecosystems sustain societies that create economics and not the other way round. Eco systems are the vital bedrock of social and economic development.

Since the 1970s however, species populations worldwide have declined by 52%, terrestrial species declined by 39% no signs of slowing down. There is a loss of habitat for human land use - agriculture, urban development, energy production - continues to be a major threat, compounded by hunting. Freshwater species show average decline of 76% with main threats being habitat loss, fragmentation, pollution and invasive species. Marine species declined by 39% with affected species including turtles, sharks and large migratory seabirds like the wandering albatross.

The world has now entered the Anthropocene Period, where human activities are the largest drivers of change at planetary scale. Given the pace and scale of these changes, we cannot exclude the possibility of reaching critical tipping points that could abruptly and/or irreversibly change living conditions on Earth.

It is apparent that we now actually need 1.5 earths to meet our currant demands on nature. We are taking more than we can replenish, we are cutting trees faster than they can mature, harvesting more fish than the oceans can replenish, and emitting more carbon than the forests and oceans can absorb. And you may have probably heard this way too many times, but we are clearly jeopardising our future.

Ecological footprints are biologically productive area needed for crops, grazing, fishing, build up areas, forest products AND the area of forest needed to absorb additional carbon dioxide emissions that oceans cannot absorb. Countries with a high level of human development face the challenge of further increasing their human development while attempting to keep their ecological footprints down to globally sustainable levels.

Changing our course and finding alternative pathways will not be easy, but it can be done. Nature conversation and sustainable development actually go hand in hand, preserving biodiversity and wild places, safeguarding the future of humanity - well being, economy, food security, social stability and survival.

When so many people live in poverty, protecting nature may seem like a luxury, but it is in fact a lifeline. We are all in this together, we all need nutritious food, fresh water and clean air. And while the world's poorest continue to be the most vulnerable, the interconnected issues of food, water and energy security affect us all.

We need to live and prosper in harmony with nature. We know where we want to be, we know how to get there, now we need to get moving.

You should be able to see all of her handwritten notes on her own blog in due time, as I have no right to post them up here. Though I will however post up the screenshots from the report that she gave me: