“Man is a Part of Nature, not Something Contrasted with Nature” – The Story behind our Trailer

Bonn, 2 May 2017 – after the launch of our new and lively World Migratory Bird Day 2017 Trailer last week, the video has already had several thousand views. This speaks volumes about the talents of its creator, Gonçalo Nobre, a creative and motivated UN Online Volunteer from Portugal who was very happy to support the cause and raise awareness for migratory birds.

The trailer was created to motivate people all around the globe to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day 2017. This annual global campaign is carried out with different themes each year. 2017 marks the second year of the Sustainable Development Goals, reminding us, as the video phrased it, “conservation of birds means having to create a sustainable lifestyle for all of us”, since “Their Future is Our Future”.

Setting out with the new year’s resolution to make a greater effort in contributing to society, Gonçalo joined the UNV Platform in January and began to work on this project for WMBD only two months later. As well as launching himself as a freelancer, Gonçalo had found an opportunity to both gain experience in his field and contribute to this UN initiative as an opportunity to make a difference. “It is precisely this bridge between a person who is willing to give their time and expertise through volunteering and a UN Agency offering people an opportunity to contribute to the UN mandate that is the essence behind the UN Online Volunteer Platform” explains Jennifer Stapper, Chief, Communications, United Nations Volunteers.

Growing up with the desire to become a biologist, Gonçalo could combine his passion for nature with his talents and skills as an animation designer in creating this year’s WMBD trailer. The overarching theme, “Their Future is Our Future” is well represented in the video and was aligned with the creator’s personal desire to better understand and depict how we humans are connected and in fact reliant upon migratory birds. More specifically, the well-known quote by Bertrand Russell, “Man is a part of Nature, not something contrasted with Nature”, guided the creative process, by helping to understand how connected and interdependent our futures are.

The design of the video follows the WMBD 2017 poster launched earlier, which had been created by another dedicated UN Volunteer from Colombia. The style of the poster integrates traditional Australian aboriginal, Central American Kun, and Native American art forms, giving it its lively and colourful appeal. The video carries an important message about the need for sustainable use of our resources, as we all share the same planet and future: “we need a healthy planet for migratory birds and people”.

You can have a look at more of Gonçalo’s work by visiting http://cargocollective.com/goncalonobre or contact him via [email protected].  

Written by Alexandra van Hoek