Today, a captivating online movie called The (Bio) Da Versity Code will begin informing citizens around the world about the dangerous loss of animal and plant species.

To launch the movie a notable group of leading conservation organizations will participate in a coordinated e-blast to approximately 1,000,000 people. Launch partners include the World Wildlife Fund, Sierra Club, Environmental Defense, The Center for Biological Diversity, The World Conservation Union, The Endangered Species Coalition, and the Species Alliance. This initiative is part of a growing trend in the use of "viral flash activism" to quickly reach millions of people about issues concerning social justice, environmental and human health.

The movie, created by Free Range Studios in collaboration with BFI and Harvard's Center for Health and the Global Environment, is a parody of the Da Vinci Code. It's an adventure featuring Robert Penguin and Sophie Minnow as they investigate the death of a polar bear at the Natural History Museum, and discover the 'greatest lie ever told': that humans can live apart from the web of life.

Viewers of the movie have options to 'learn more' about the biodiversity crisis and to 'take action' in connection with a relevant conservation or legislative campaign underway with a launch partner.

The 'learn more' feature utilizes BFI's interactive EARTHscope™ interface to deliver five compelling stories about how human activities are driving species to extinction. Each story includes a narrated introduction, slide show and accompanying text.

The project was conceived by Joshua Arnow (BFI board member) who proposed the project to Dr. Eric Chivian, founder of the Harvard Center, brought Free Range Studios on board and worked closely with Dr. Chivian to obtain a grant from the Threshold Foundation. The grant is part of an ongoing program of the Threshold Foundation to proactively address societal awareness of mass extinction and our responsibility in creating and reversing it.

» Watch 'The DaVersity Code'