OUGD503 Studio Brief 02 Collaborative Practice WWF Research

My task after the meeting we had last week was to research WWF campaigns in the past and the company in general as well as the living planet report that forms the centre of the brief. I started with the living planet project which was fairly simple because there are central ideas and statistics which summarise the findings well.

The video below was on the WWF page about this report and is minimally helpful, but possibly is worth showing everyone in the group because it summaries the corporate feel that I desperately want to avoid. 




These are some of the key quotes summarising the reports findings and could be a stimulus for ideas generation at a later stage of the brief.

"Put another way, in less than two human generations, population sizes of vertebrate species have dropped by half. These are the living forms that constitute the fabric of the ecosystems which sustain life on Earth – and the barometer of what we are doing to our own planet, our only home. We ignore their decline at our peril.

In a world where so many people live in poverty, it may appear as though protecting nature is a luxury. But it is quite the opposite. For many of the world’s poorest people, it is a lifeline. Importantly though, we are all in this together. We all need nutritious food, fresh water and clean air – wherever in the world we live.

Things look so worrying that it may seem difficult to feel positive about the future. Difficult, certainly, but not impossible – because it is in ourselves, who have caused the problem, that we can find the solution. Now we must work to ensure that the upcoming generation can seize the opportunity that we have so far failed to grasp, to close this destructive chapter in our history, and build a future where people can live and prosper in harmony with nature.

We are all connected – and collectively, we have the potential to create the solutions that will safeguard the future of this, our one and only planet."

These are extracts from the WWF website http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_report/


However, this is a lot of pointing out problems, do they actually provide any kind of solutions. Yes, but they seem very big and unobtainable from an individual perspective.

"It requires that we:

• Preserve natural capital:Restore damaged ecosystems, halt the loss of priority habitats, significantly expand protected areas.
   
• Produce better: Reduce inputs and waste, manage resources sustainably, scale-up renewable energy production.
   
• Consume more wisely:
  Through low-footprint lifestyles, sustainable energy use and healthier food consumption patterns.
   
• Redirect financial flows:
  Value nature, account for environmental and social costs, support and reward conservation, sustainable resource management and innovation.
   
• Equitable resource governance:
  Share available resources, make fair and ecologically informed choices, measure success beyond GDP.

While the global trends leave us in no doubt about the scale of the challenges that we face, there is room for hope. Numerous examples from all around the world demonstrate the One Planet Perspective in practice – with significant environmental, social and economic benefits. Below are just a few."

Source: http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_report/one_planet_solutions/