Get creative and save an animal with Hong Kong’s Voices for the Planet Challenge

When China banned the trade and consumption of wild animals last month, it was a sliver of good news amid the many frightening health and financial stories unleashed by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Strict measures were introduced after the epicentre of the disease was reportedly traced to a market in Wuhan, Hubei province, that sold wild animals. How the novel coronavirus jumped from animals to humans remains unclear.

Stopping trade in wildlife is an almighty task. The industry is deeply ingrained in China’s cultural DNA, from fur farms to traditional medicine, pets and tourism. It is also extremely lucrative: a 2017 report by the Chinese Academy of Engineering valued the trade at US$74 billion.

Raising awareness about global ecology is more vital than ever and Hong Kong charity LumiVoce is doing its bit to inspire the young people of today to become the wildlife protectors of tomorrow.

It has joined forces with the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation to launch the Voices for the Planet Challenge, a global competition that calls on students – primary, junior, secondary and college – to become biodiversity champions by getting creative with the theme “Saving All Life on Earth”.

Participants are invited to submit music videos, stories and illustrations about animals threatened with extinc­tion by May 22, the International Day for Biological Diversity, with winners to be announced in June.

One million animal and plant species face extinction owing to climate change, according to a 2019 report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

“The Voices for the Planet Challenge is a great oppor­tunity for children and parents to focus on creative, fun and inspiring activities to examine the relationship between humans and other species we share this planet with,” says LumiVoce founder Ying Ying Liu.

It is no surprise that Liu is harnessing the power of music in particular to help spread the message; she is the daughter of renowned classical composer Liu Chi. Ying Ying Liu believes the competition can help lift the spirits of young people who are homebound during the outbreak.

“We hope this challenge will help the children in lockdown, their parents and, ultimately, the planet’s wildlife,” she says.

The deadline for registering for the Voices for the Planet Challenge is April 22 (Earth Day). For details, visit lumivoce.org/voices4theplanet.