The 'Animal Affair' design is one of the four new illustrations for the Sustainability collection that was launched in September 2019. It shows a few species that are in danger of extinction, amongst them the bengal tiger, the mountain gorilla, the penguin, the tuna fish and the polar bear. Below you can see designer Irina's illustrations for the print:
What stands behind the print is the recent development and increase in the extinction of species in relation to how we use our natural resources to afford our lifestyles.
We are facing the biggest species extinction since the the die out of the dinosaurs. Yes! Since the dinosaurs - that's pretty big. Reading more about this topic you quickly come across the UNO report of species extinction, which was published in May 2019 and put together as the basis for the World Summit on Nature Conservation that will be held in 2020 in China. It is also used in the G7 summit and for governments around the world to find a common solution for the conservation of species.
Some of the facts include the following ones: Since the 19th century half of the coral reefs have disappeared, 9% of livestock breeds have died out and the dying out of pollinating insects is endangering food production in the future.
In another report of the World Biodiversity Council (IPBES) it explains that one million species are in danger of extinction if there isn't any fundamental changes in land use, environmental protection and climate change.
The global warming cause by mankind alone could make 5% of all species extinct.
To keep it balanced, let's also hear some good news when it comes to species preservation: for example there have been 31 endangered species found in the previously inaccessible region of Myanmar including the Panthera tigris and Asian elephant and there has also been a discovery of Indochinese tigers in Thailands forests, and they are breeding.
We can also observe that decision-makers in infrastructure are starting to consider whether a new street or bridge will mess up too much with the habitat of some species and are therefore re-routed or cancelled. And all the climate change demonstration around the world are showing a positive movement towards a lifestyle that uses nature's resources in a more responsible way.
So the good news is that we are conscious about the problem and are doing our best to preserve species and their habitats to keep the world a diverse place!!
In the 'Animal Affair' print we have illustrated some of the most 'famous animals' that are in danger of extinction as a little reminder of the ones who would benefit from us leading a more sustainable lifestyle.
Part of the income from this design goes to the organisation 'Four Paws', an international organisation with many projects on small and bigger scale. We liked the effort they make to incentivise public institutions to serve less meat and they also share their success stories when it comes to the rescuing of animals kept in conditions not worth living.
Thanks for reading!
