In honor of Shark Awareness Day this year, WildAid launched a new video public service announcement (PSA) “Sea of Chaos” in Thailand, highlighting the important role of sharks in the ocean and how our consumption of shark fin is disrupting the ocean ecosystems. The video features WildAid’s new voices for sharks – Maria Poonlertlarp, who is Miss Universe Thailand 2017, an actress, a passionate environmental activist, and diver, and ‘Pong’ Nawat Kulrattanarak, Thailand’s superstar actor and the organization’s intrepid shark ambassador of five years. “Sea of Chaos” is part of WildAid’s ongoing “Celebrate with No Shark Fin” campaign that launched in 2018 to address and end shark fin consumption at celebratory events, thereby protecting sharks, fisheries, and ocean ecosystems. 

Watch Sea of Chaos.

In partnership with the Tanzanian government and the United Nations Development Program, we launched a #DefendOurWildlife campaign in Dar es Salaam to bring an end to the illegal trafficking of wildlife through East Africa’s ports and cargo terminals. Supported by international football stars, WildAid celebrity ambassadors, and conservation partners, the campaign targets workers at East Africa’s ports and cargo terminals to give them the information and support they need to end the illegal trafficking of wildlife and wildlife products. The governments of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda have also established telephone hotlines for members of the public and even government workers to report wildlife crime, toll-free and anonymously. 

Check out the campaign here.

In Vietnam, we debuted the short film “Guardians of the Wild,” continuing the success of previous campaigns that have made a strong impression on young people. This film is the main media product of the Guardians of the Wild campaign, which aims to raise public awareness of four Asian Pangolin species and their special abilities to help the ecosystem based on their real natural abilities: pest control. Thus, people will better understand the relationship between humans and pangolins – a species that is indispensable to the balance of the ecosystem. Billboards and out-of-home media have garnered over 1.2 billion impressions during its run, while online we have reached over 3.3 million people. 

Watch the film and meet the guardians.

According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, household consumption makes up 53% of total carbon emissions. However, as individuals we often have little knowledge on how we can reduce this number. Recently released in China, our “Find Your Climate Action” campaign features actor Wu Lei, who is currently playing a lead role in China’s most popular show of 2022, "Love Like the Galaxy." Known for his sustainable lifestyle, he prefers riding bikes and trains for transportation and is always seen with his reusable water bottle and coffee thermos. The campaign also launched our new Climate Action Handbook, along with a new interactive online information and engagement hub that includes a carbon calculator, which allows consumers to track their individual emissions and receive personalized carbon reduction tips.

We will launch the English portion of this campaign in early November to coincide with the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference!

Mexico’s Scorpion Reef is not easy to get to—but it’s hard to forget. As beautiful as it is biodiverse, this paradise in the Gulf of Mexico is part of the largest coral reef in the Western Hemisphere and teeming with countless species of fish and a striking variety of coral. And there’s one species that it’s really known for: spiny lobster. Unfortunately, that makes Scorpion Reef—and all its native marine life—a target for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. That’s why WildAid partnered with Impact Blue, a non-profit that works with the local Fishing Federation to stop IUU fishing for spiny lobster and enforce a closure of the fishery during the lobster breeding season.

Read the blog.