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Icons of Hope - Crowdfunding Campaign for Iconic Species
Icons of Hope is a limited-edition T-shirt collection that transforms an everyday purchase into meaningful support for biodiversity conservation. Created by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Thai apparel brand YUEDPAO, and Thailand's Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), the collection brings together conservation, creativity, and community action.
Designed by community artists from Dek Rak Thoong in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, the collection features three original designs inspired by Thailand's forests, wetlands, and marine and coastal ecosystems. Together, they showcase six iconic animal species and the ecosystems that sustain them.
100& of profits from the collection support community-led conservation initiatives through the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) at UNDP, helping protect ecosystems, conserve threatened species, and strengthen sustainable livelihoods across Thailand.
Thailand is home to nearly 10% of the world's biodiversity, yet this natural wealth is increasingly threatened by habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and unsustainable resource use. Biodiversity loss threatens not only wildlife, but also food security, livelihoods, and climate resilience.
Launched on World Environment Day 2026, Icons of Hope aims to make biodiversity conservation more accessible by connecting fashion, storytelling, and community action—showing how everyday choices can help protect nature and the communities that depend on it.
Every Icon Tells a Bigger Story
The collection features species that represent entire ecosystems and the essential services they provide.
Forests — Protect Tigers, Protect Forests
The Indochinese tiger helps maintain ecological balance as an apex predator, while the great hornbill disperses seeds across vast landscapes, helping forests regenerate naturally. Together, they represent healthy forests that provide freshwater, store carbon, and sustain communities.
Wetlands — Protect Fishing Cats, Protect Wetlands
The fishing cat, purple swamphen, and lotus symbolize wetlands that support extraordinary biodiversity while filtering water, reducing floods, sustaining fisheries, and supporting agriculture.
Marine - Protect Dugongs, Protect Oceans
The dugong and green sea turtle depend on healthy seagrass meadows for survival. In turn, seagrass captures carbon, protects coastlines from erosion, nurtures marine biodiversity, and supports coastal livelihoods.
When these iconic species thrive, entire ecosystems thrive with them.
Why It Matters
Biodiversity is not only about protecting wildlife.
It is about securing food systems, strengthening climate resilience, supporting sustainable livelihoods, and ensuring that future generations inherit a healthy planet.
Thailand's National Biodiversity Action Plan (2023–2027) recognizes that achieving these goals requires collective action across government, communities, businesses, financial institutions, civil society, and citizens.
Icons of Hope contributes to this shared ambition by making conservation accessible through everyday choices.
How Your Purchase Creates Impact
Every purchase from the Icons of Hope Collection contributes directly to community-led conservation initiatives through the UNDP Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP).
Profits from the collection help local communities:
- Protect forests, wetlands, and marine ecosystems.
- Conserve threatened wildlife and iconic species.
- Restore degraded habitats.
- Strengthen climate resilience through nature-based solutions.
- Support sustainable livelihoods that work in harmony with nature.
- Empower local people as long-term stewards of biodiversity.
Because the people living closest to nature are often its strongest protectors.
Partnership for Nature
Icons of Hope demonstrates how collaboration can unlock greater impact for biodiversity.
The campaign brings together:
- UNDP, advancing sustainable development and community-led conservation.
- YUEDPAO, using creativity, fashion, and responsible business to inspire positive change.
- ONEP, leading Thailand's biodiversity policy and implementation under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
- Dek Rak Thoong, whose community artists bring local stories and nature to life through design.
Take Action
Every T-shirt tells a story.
Every purchase supports communities.
Every choice helps protect nature.
Wear an Icon of Hope—and become part of a movement working to ensure that Thailand's forests, wetlands, and oceans continue to thrive for generations to come.
100& of profits from the collection support community-led conservation initiatives through the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) at UNDP, helping protect ecosystems, conserve threatened species, and strengthen sustainable livelihoods across Thailand.
For more details:
Karnklon Raktham
Head of Strategic Communications and Engagement, UNDP Thailand
karnklon.raktham@undp.org
See Press Release