We created an integrated awareness campaign for our client Birdlife SA, a non-profit organisation dedicated to bird conservation. The work was intended to tangibly demonstrate the need for immediate action if certain bird species are to avoid extinction. We established that BirdLife saves endangered bird species through the rescue and restoration of their habitats. One of the greatest challenges faced by the NGO is the element of time. The faster a bird’s natural habitat depletes, the sooner the species is faced with the threat of extinction.
We utilised the visual mechanism of the hourglass to emphasise the urgency of time as a major contributing factor to a bird’s extinction. The hourglass visual was deemed appropriate not simply because of the metaphor for time running out, but also because the contents of the hourglass - oil, water, and sand respectively - are major factors to the near extinction of three species of birds indigenous to South Africa. The premise was a simple one. The longer we wait, the more we lose.
“Since the turn of the 20th century, we’ve lost nearly two million African Penguin breeding pairs. That’s 99% of the entire population. Even when oil spills are gone, the devastation of overfishing remains. As natural habitats and resources continue to disappear, so will our birds. Help us act now. www.birdlife.org.za”
“One of the world’s rarest birds, the African Skimmer, is extinct in South Africa as a breeding species. Due to the ongoing degradation of our rivers, they are left without the sand banks required to breed, or any hope to ever return. As natural habitats and resources continue to disappear, so will our birds. Help us act now. www.birdlife.org.za”
“The largest and rarest of Africa’s crane species, the Wattles Crane, is Critically Endangered. Due to the loss and degradation of South Africa’s wetlands, less than 270 of these magnificent birds remain in the wild today. As natural habitats and resources continue to disappear, so will our birds. Help us act now. www.birdlife.org.za”
Thank you
