Why Tiffany & Co. is selling diamond koalas
A partnership with the world’s most iconic jewellery brand has given koala conservation a much-needed boost.
Dr Kellie Leigh has been working in koala conservation for over a decade. But it wasn’t until the Black Summer bushfires, which tore through critical koala habitats all over Australia’s East Coast as 2019 pressed into 2020, that the urgent nature of her work was brought to the attention of the rest of the world.
“A lot of the time, people who come to our talks and events are already interested in what we do. We’re preaching to the choir to some extent,” says Leigh, who is the executive director and CEO of Science for Wildlife, an Australian not-for-profit wildlife conservation organisation. “But those weather-driven fires really changed that. We work mostly with local communities, but those images of the koalas really stuck with people. It brought about this increased level of awareness on a national and international scale.”
Dr Leigh is speaking to us from her home in the Blue Mountains, where a number of Science for Wildlife’s koala habitat restoration projects are underway. Outside, rain is falling — just this week we were told to anticipate another wet summer, as news of a La Nina event was confirmed. It’s hard to believe that this time two years ago, the sky was bruised with smoke and ash was falling from the sky.
“Based on the high rainfall, it’s not looking like we’ll need to support wildlife with emergency water or food this season,” says the scientist with a sign of relief. Dr Leigh and her team are using the time to focus on longer-term population recovery and habitat restoration, as well as doing research into future-proof vegetation that can withstand high temperatures and regenerate after fire.
“Climate change has completely altered our priorities. So we’re looking at where the koalas survived and how they’re using the landscape post-fire, so that we can understand which areas will support them based on different fire intensities.
“Now that we know there’s likely to be more of that coming, we can look at: what do we need to do to conserve what we’ve got left?”
Like all not-for-profits, Science for Wildlife is reliant on government grants, university research and donations in order to carry out this important work. And as Dr Leigh notes, “there’s still funding cuts being made in the wrong direction.” What’s more, as the immediate threat of bushfires recedes — at least for another summer — keeping the general public interested remains a challenge.
But in July, a new partnership with the world’s most iconic jewellery brand gave the cause a much-needed boost. Tiffany & Co. announced it would be adding a local legend to its Save The Wild collection, which, in four years, has provided critical funds for more than 450 on-the-ground conservation projects to protect elephants, lions and rhinos in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Network: a koala-shaped charm.
Since then, all proceeds made from sales of the design have been directed towards assisting the restoration and conservation of koala habitats that were razed by the Black Summer fires. Far from a tokenistic gesture, the pieces range in price from $940 for the sterling silver option, to $25,600 for the 18k white gold brooch with diamonds.
But the Tiffany & Co. koala had a similar – yet much more desirable effect – to the bushfires. Thanks to the brand’s amplification, koala conservation re-entered the global conversation. “It’s incredibly welcome. We need so much reach in the field – for koalas and other species,” says Dr Leigh. “We need people to care and to connect to nature, and so to have a partnership with a global brand like this, it’s amazing, because it’s just opening up whole new audiences for us, to get that message out.”
Turning the country’s most charming marsupial into a piece of fine jewellery has been an effective way of getting the message out. But the koala wasn’t just chosen for its cuddly appearance. “One of the reasons we work with them is because they’re a flagship species, and they need a broad range of eucalyptus habitats. So if we’re protecting their habitats, we’re protecting a lot of other species at the same time,” explains Dr Leigh.
“And people aren’t necessarily going to feel that connection with a dragon fly, or a lizard. But once you learn about koalas and their habitats, well, that could be the next step. It’s that broader awareness of conservation challenges we’re after, which aren’t limited to koalas.”
As for how the public can pitch in, well, the newest addition to Tiffany & Co.’s Save the Wild collection makes for a worthy Christmas gift. Dr Leigh also recommends volunteering with local land care groups to help with habitat restoration, and becoming an advocate by having conversations that push for policy change. Even focusing on curbing our own carbon footprints benefits the bigger picture.
“All those small actions do add up,” she assures us. “I think we’re really at a pretty critical tipping point right now and you know, we need support to carry through that change, otherwise things are going to get worse.”