COP15, the UN Biodiversity Conference, was a meeting of almost 200 countries and their representatives to discuss the biodiversity crisis and how they can work together to combat it. The meeting took place in Montreal, Canada, and lasted 12 days, finishing on the 19th of December.

Because of the importance of biodiversity (the variety and variability of life on Earth) the meeting was incredibly important for not only our planet, but our species as well.

Despite this, very few people even knew the conference was taking place! There were a few reasons for this, which mainly have to do with the World Cup and Christmas taking place around the same time, which the Media reported on far more due to the global popularity of those events. COP15 also happened shortly after COP27, so there may have been some media fatigue involved too.

An overview of our partnership with IAR

Amplitude partnered with International Animal Rescue in the leadup to COP15, helping raise awareness of the conference and generate signatures on an open letter to world leaders.

This began with the launch of the #AreYouListening? campaign in August. The first phase of the campaign focused on social media, with static and animated assets created for Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. The second phase launched in November, several weeks ahead of the start of the conference.

This second, larger phase centred on a heartbreaking animation highlighting the plight of animals affected by the biodiversity crisis. We pulled all of the strings for this, getting composer Amie Doherty (Pixar, Disney, Marvel) and singer-songwriter Billy Lockett to work on the incredible, epic soundtrack.

Alongside the animation, we placed billboards around Montreal, created TV and radio ads and provided another suite of social assets for use by IAR, environment advocates, and the general public. We provided support on PR, engaging news outlets, environmental journals, and influencers around the world.

The campaign animation reached hundreds of thousands of people, generating several thousand signatures on IAR’s letter. The letter was then presented to world leaders during COP15 as a demonstration of how much people around the world are united on the issue of biodiversity.

The outcomes of COP

On the final day of talks, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), presided over by China and hosted by Canada, was approved! The GBF seeks to stop the loss of biodiversity, repair ecosystems, and defend the rights of indigenous people.

As far as these conferences of world leaders tend to go, this one has ended on a very positive note! The agreed plan aims to halt and reverse environmental loss, including protecting 30% of the planet’s surface and 30% of its degraded ecosystems by 2030.

The planet has undergone significant change in humanity’s modern era, experiencing the largest loss of life since the extinction of the dinosaurs as a result of human activity. COP15’s conclusion is a step in the right direction, and is certainly a foot in the door of change.

However, if we’re really to undo our species’ errors, we’ll need to stay consistent and united in our protection of the environment. Not just for the sake of the planet and animals, but also for ourselves.

Amplitude is incredibly proud of the work we undertook with IAR, and we’ll always remain a planet and people first team.