For most of its history, conservationism has focused on the preservation of nature merely because it is nature, it is special, and there is a limited amount of it, which human beings continually use up or destroy for its resources. The reality however, is that humans need nature to survive.

This is the core message that Conservation International’s (CI) new Nature is Speaking campaign hopes to impart to as many people as possible.

Their main slogan is: “Nature doesn’t need people. People need nature.” CI believes that elucidating the threats humanity causes to itself by destroying the natural world has a better chance of convincing those for whom the intrinsic value of nature is not enough.

This is a decent idea, but its execution may be lacking.

A brief article, written by CI’s Senior Scientist M. Sanjayan, laid out the strategy and reasoning behind Nature is Speaking in clear, thorough terms, but when you first approach their website, NatureisSpeaking.org, it looks much like a hundred other conservation sites, albeit with some very slick web design.

There are some gorgeous shots of natural scenery, but the main focus seems to be on the names of actors who they have playing the roles of different parts of the natural world in short films, each explaining to the audience why humans need them.

The actual goal of the campaign is included in its “humanifesto”, but it is pushed back to one of the site’s last pages and the overall impression of the website seems to drown the message and the cause.

Sanjayan said that CI is trying to change opinions about conservationism, but opponents of environmentalism, those who view conservation as elitist ideology, would seem unlikely to be swayed by high-resolution images and Hollywood celebrities.

The attempt of CI with Nature is Speaking is to be applauded, but ultimately it appears to be just what it is: an advertising campaign put together by a prestigious marketing firm.

Decide for yourself at NatureisSpeaking.org.