WASHINGTON, D.C.—Earth Day Network announced the release of its Earth Day 2019 poster. In one stunning image, the poster visually conveys the meaning and importance of its 2019 Protect Our Species campaign. It features Brad Wilson’s photograph of a giraffe, part of his series AFFINITY that depicts threatened, endangered and other species.
Giraffe populations have declined from 155,000 in 1985 to under 100,000 in 2018. No international treaties protect giraffes, and the United States is the number one importer of giraffe trophies and parts. Habitat loss, civil unrest, illegal poaching and hunting, and climate change collectively contribute to the decline in giraffe populations.
“For its iconic and singular beauty, and the many critical threats to its survival, we chose the giraffe to visually represent our 2019 campaign,” says Earth Day Network President Kathleen Rogers. “We are grateful to Brad Wilson for joining our cause by donating this powerful photograph.”
‘Interconnected Diversity of Life’
Brad Wilson adds, “I photograph animals in part because they inhabit a world that we, as humans, have largely abandoned—a place of instinct, intuition and present moment awareness. They remind us that we are not separate—we are part of a beautifully rich and interconnected diversity of life. I donated this image to the Earth Day Network to bring attention to the plight of giraffes (and endangered animals everywhere) and to emphasize that our destinies are powerfully linked. The survival of one species helps to insure the survival of us all.”
The unprecedented global destruction and rapid reduction of plant and wildlife populations are directly driven by human activity: climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, trafficking and poaching, unsustainable agriculture, pollution and pesticides. The impacts are far reaching.
“If we don’t act now,” notes Rogers, “the next extinct species may be our own.”
More information about the campaign and other species can be found at www.earthday.org.
