Back From The Brink

A multimedia campaign galvanizing community action to solve the issue of animal extinction in cities. Everyday actions by everyday people can bring animals back from the brink of extinction!

My campaign was kickstarted by a microgrant I received from MIT Solv[ED], helping me learn more about the issue and frame solutions. 

This includes:

• AI-based game. I am learning coding and will create a game, engaging players in a format they enjoy while building awareness of how everyday actions can make an impact to the issue of animal conservation in cities.
• A website- where I will have detailed information about the issue and case studies of community-based action around the world.
• A 200-page book diving deep into actions we can take to reduce urban extinction with real-world case studies of communities who have taken them. This will educate readers about how everyday people can make a difference to the problem of animal extinction in cities. I am a published author, using my passion to make a positive impact. My book Underdogs focused on giving underprivileged kids a chance to unleash their potential, with sales proceeds donated to Save The Children India.
• Advocacy- Visiting schools throughout Mumbai (and in other cities, virtually) to share insights behind this campaign, engage kids with the game, offer the book for sale- creating awareness and engagement.

We associate endangered animals with national parks and the wild, but there is an extinction apocalypse taking place in our backyards. Mumbai, my home city, is home to 40 endangered bird species. With research, I found that urbanisation is a big culprit in extinction, reducing biodiversity by 67%, pushing species to the brink through habitat destruction while clearing land, after which destitute species struggle to survive in urban areas due to lack of food, clean water, and high pollution. 

This wanton ecosystem destruction has devastating implications. The current Extinction Wave may wipe out 1 million species, most through urbanisation. It also prevents the fulfilment of 35 out of 44 UN SDG targets as forest depletion deprives us of 75% of freshwater, and pollinator insect's extinction means more hunger.

My campaign is based on the insight that everyday people can through everyday actions make an impact. One stray cat's adoption saves 8500 animals in five years and turning the lights off at night saves 1000 birds a lifetime. Some communities have applied similar solutions. Sudbury, Canada's residents converted their home from a barren, polluted wasteland into a biodiversity hotspot with millions of trees, and thousands of volunteers in California, USA, increased Western Monarch populations by 4900% in 2020 after decades of decline by planting one poisonous weed. 

Unfortunately, there is a lack of awareness about how individuals and communities can take such actions to bring animals back from the brink of extinction.

My solution serves two audiences:

1. The animals saved from extinction. The impact to be made is huge. Cities cause 472 million land animal deaths annually through deforestation and 2.5-3 trillion marine animal deaths (mostly through fishing and animal husbandry to satisfy urban needs). Through light pollution and stray animal issues they cause 15 billion animal deaths in the US alone. This leads to cities causing at least 75% of the endangering of the world's endangered species, set to cause 750,000 extinctions in the Sixth Wave of Extinction. Many of these species are neglected with conservation in the public consciousness and even the movement itself based on protecting a few famous species in the wild. It is important and right that they are served and saved.

2. People in local communities who will become involved in community-based efforts through my solution. They are underserved because there is very low awareness about animal extinction in urban areas and what they can do to save those species. My solution will serve them by:

- Helping them tangibly through conservation and the upliftment of the ecosystem, which will, in the long run, prevent them from suffering from issues like poverty, spread of diseases, lack of food and water access, etc.

- Empower them to feel like they are in control of their future and that of the ecosystem around them and that they do not need to leave action to the state or NGOs. 

Primary research:

1. Quantitative survey among 151 respondents. This gave me important insights:

- Low awareness. Most people think endangered animals are relevant only in national parks (58%) or the wild (41%). Only 1% associate them with cities.

- Feeling that common people can't make a difference. Most respondents felt it was the government's (93%) and NGOs (94%) responsibility, compared to 10% for common people.

- People want to help (84% likely/very likely wanting to help in the cause of endangered animals) but low awareness of how to help other than donating to NGOs (88% thought it was the best way to help)

- Getting people involved in community-based efforts had two big triggers- building awareness of the issue of endangered animals in cities (37%) and sharing ideas on how they could help with simple, everyday steps (56%)

This research validated my hypothesis that there was low awareness of the issue and that simple, everyday steps would help motivate people to get involved, and I built this into the solution.

2. Spoke to a senior official at UNICEF to understand how they generate community-based involvement in SDG efforts.

Secondary research:

1. Books (Jane Goodall, Nature's Best Hope etc) and articles to build my understanding of the issue of urban animal conservation, steps communities could take and case studies.

2. Technology- looking at potential platforms I (Visual Studio Code) to look at how I could develop a gaming solution.

The issue of endangered animals in urban areas is a blindspot. We often talk about endangered animals but ignore the extinctions taking place due to or in cities. More than 46% of endangered species are in cities, and the issue extends beyond urban areas' vicinity- especially through the supplying for urban consumption needs (requiring vast tracts of land and deforestation, as well as overfishing) and waste generation.

This unmet need is enlargened by common people's lack of awareness of the issue. For instance, the adoption of one stray cat saves 2900 endangered animals in five years, and making one's diet 1/4th vegetarian saves the lives of 700 marine animals in 10 years. Large communities enacting such solutions can have a greater impact than a few NGOs, as seen by communities who have used them to great effect including Vengurla, Maharashtra where through the willingness of common people to practice the 3 R's olive ridley turtle populations were revived and in Arunachal Pradesh, India where a few dozen tribals with nests and urban citizens saved the Great Hornbill from extinction.

It is essential for this issue to be solved. Conservation is a must in today's world with the Sixth Wave of Extinction dawning which may wipe out 1 million species and produce impacts worse than climate change, increasing disease, poverty, and reducing clean water access.

Mobilising urban populations in saving species imperilled by urbanisation would help mitigate this crisis, 

I have completed my research and am now in the stage of actually developing my solutions. Here is my status on the key components of my solution:

Book- I have finished my research and am in process of writing the book. I have finished 75% of the first draft and should be done with my manuscript by February. 

Game/website- I am at an early stage of evaluating potential technologies and platforms to use and I will start on this in February.

For the book, I am actually at a prototype stage, but my game is still at a concept stage.

To make the game I will combine multiple technologies especially AI-based components like speech recognition to create an RPG, in which the player enters a virtual 'city' where they will be confronted with everyday choices, determining their points and the ecological outcome. At the end of each level, they will get scores explaining the choices they could have made and what impact that would have had on animal extinction. This will reinforce awareness of everyday choices people can make to help in the issue of animal conservation in urban habitats. The app will have a link to a website for 'cheat codes' for the game- information about the choices players can make to give themselves the highest probability of succeeding along with a sentence or two on why those decisions are ideal. These cheat codes will be based on my research and will thus help raise awareness about how players can contribute to urban animal conservation.

Apart from the cheat codes, the website will also use multimedia content to (a)inform people on moves they can make to save species from urbanisation and (b)celebrate the initiative and success of communities that have already implemented them. 

Given my target audience has smartphones, the eBook will have enhanced features eg. links to NGOs they can donate to, clickable links to community-based action groups. The paperback will also have a QR code to help readers download the game, thus creating an integrated ecosystem of content around the big idea.

I plan to serve 50,000 people in the first year by reaching them to raise awareness about this issue focusing on my community (Maharashtra, the state where I live).

Game downloads- 10,000

Website visitors- 10,000

Book sales- 10,000

Kids reached through libraries and advocacy efforts at schools (assuming 100 schools covered at 200 kids per school)- 20,000

In the second year, I would like to scale this across India and reach 100,000 people through enhanced advocacy efforts- more school connections across cities, awareness generation across other cities about the book and game.

My dream would be that my humble efforts create a domino effect and attract the attention of national media that amplifies the reach of my campaign to millions of people nationwide.

Create awareness among 50,000 people in my community in year 1 about the role they can play in protecting animals from extinction in urban areas. I will measure this by doing a survey to see if the awareness of the issue has increased v/s my pre-survey. My goal is to double awareness of endangered animals in urban areas (from current 10%) and also triple the perception of how ordinary plan can people can play a role in this issue (from current 10%)

- App downloads

- Website visitors

- Book sales

- Schools reached through advocacy program

1. Awareness- creating awareness of my campaign is the biggest barrier to reaching my goals. 

2. Financial- over time, I aim to create a self-sustaining model where my book sales fund ongoing advocacy campaigns, but to launch the campaign I need funding to create awareness of my campaign. 

3. Technical- While I am learning coding, I do need expert help on how I can translate my vision into a game that will engage players and achieve the objective of creating awareness about the issue.

I have always believed that we humans should live in harmony with other species and treat them as equals. That is why, when I learned that the chicken and fish I was eating were the same ones I heard about living on farms and swimming in seas, I turned vegetarian when I was 4. I have been really passionate about conservation since it seeks to achieve this very goal I've believed in and is of utmost importance for our world. It is this interest that made me decide to do this campaign.

I also have some experience in the skills required to make the two main parts of my solution- the book and the application. For the former, writing has been a great hobby of mine and I have, as mentioned in a question on the first page, published two books with a third coming soon. I will use whatever skills I have so far and the ones I improve myself in in this project to make the book effective in generating awareness about an important issue and generate concrete actions from communities to conserve endangered species. For the app, I have been learning coding and know how to make interactive apps using elements like AI. Here too, I will use the know-how I have already gained and the skills I acquire in my next few coding classes to make the app engaging for my target audience (kids my age) and persuade them to help save species in their communities.

I have approached UNICEF India to help in amplifying the reach of this campaign. While the details are being worked, I am seeking help from them in two areas:

- Amplifying awareness of this campaign through their social media channels

- Building credibility for this effort. One of their senior leaders is writing the foreword for my book.