Tencent for the Planet is a public welfare initiative founded in 2015 to focus on key environmental issues such as wildlife protection and biodiversity conservation.
Shortly after launching, Tencent for the Planet joined hands with environmental agencies to develop the first online reporting platform capable of detecting illegal activities in the wildlife trade. This initiative rallied many sectors and communities to combat the practice, spearheading a full-stack solution for online reporting and offline partnerships with law enforcement agencies. So far, these measures have helped bring justice to criminals who smuggled everything from ivory elephant tusks to the protective scales of pangolins.
Tencent for the Planet launched its Natural Ecology Protection Advisory Group in 2018 to provide guidance for the internet industry on ecological matters in partnership with seven environmental organizations.
We have also joined the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online, bringing together companies and institutes from around the world to develop technical guidance aimed at preventing the buying and selling of illegal wildlife online.
In 2020, Tencent for the Planet teamed up with academic institutions, environmental agencies and other companies to develop a new set of standards to combat the illegal wildlife trade. The Control of Illegal Wildlife Trade on Online Platforms Group Standard launched on the Internet Society of China platform. Tencent was among the first batch of 16 institutions to adopt this standard.
Tencent for the Planet uses technology, social media, and games as an innovative approach for encouraging public engagement to protect our biodiversity. Initiatives include hosting public welfare events, including those held in conjunction with the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), as well as the Wildlife Protection Alliance campaign and the Tencent Light Public Good Innovation Challenge.
These initiatives have influenced hundreds of millions of Internet users. In September 2021, Tencent for the Planet was selected as one of the “100+ Specially Recommended Global Biodiversity Cases” by the Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat, the Executive Committee for COP15, and China Environmental Protection Foundation.
