Catwalk for Collective Wellbeing

[Washington--November, 2022] – Building on the success of the 2021 Catwalk, in which over 27,000 people participated, Catmosphere is launching the second Catwalk, to take place on Saturday November 5^th, 2022.

Founded in 2021 by HRH Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Catmosphere is a foundation that uses the stories of the 7 Big Cat, and their conservation challenges, to encourage us all to take action to address our collective wellbeing. Catmosphere’s initiatives aim to fuse the concepts of health and conservation to straddle sectors, audiences and partnerships in uniquely impactful ways.

In 2021, Catmosphere foundation launched a flagship, mass-participation campaign called CATWALK. Catwalk invites participants to get active in nature as a way of underlining the critical need that Big Cats have for their natural habitats, while simultaneously triggering appreciation of the physical and mental benefits of outdoor physical activity. By focusing on how self-care and caring for nature are intrinsically linked, Catwalk strives to demonstrate how ALL OUR WELLBEING IS INTERCONNECTED. 

Catwalk 2021 saw over 27,000 people in 102 countries collectively walking over 150,000km in support of Big Cat Conservation and Wellbeing. They demonstrated a communal commitment to our common interests. 

Building on this success, in 2022 Catwalk invites everyone to CATWALK FOR COLLECTIVE WELLBEING on Saturday 5 November. 

Participants can Catwalk in two ways:

1. Catwalk: Walk up-to-7 kilometres and dedicate their walk to their favorite Big Cat. 
2. Catwalk Cubs: Walk 700 metres and add on an activity that reflects the behaviour of your favorite Big Cat. This shorter distance is designed for children and families. 
3. Catwalk is open to participants of any age / ability who registers at catmosphere.org/register

Catmosphere's efforts are supported by partners that include the International Olympic Committee, Special Olympics, TAFISA, and Peace and Sport, as well as Google. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 24% of all global human deaths are attributable to environmental factors, while a quarter of the world’s population are at health risks from not doing sufficient exercise in our increasingly sedentary society. Big Cats are even more dependent on their environments. They are all threatened by habitat loss, and the Tiger, Lion, Leopard and Cheetah have disappeared from between 65% and 96% (source: Panthera.org) of their historic range.

Catmosphere’s Founder Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud says: 

“The multitude of challenges we face globally are making it increasingly apparent that the wellbeing of humanity, wildlife, and the environments on which we depend are all intrinsically intertwined. Catmosphere was founded to highlight these interdependencies, helping to raise awareness for the plight of the Big Cats and demonstrate how all of our wellbeing is interconnected. We amplify aspects of the concept of One Health, advocated by multiple UN agencies, whose message we wholeheartedly support.

We were thrilled that the inaugural Catwalk in 2021 received such overwhelming support, showing a huge appetite for our message and support for action to conserve the iconic Big Cats throughout the world. In 2022 we are building on this success, with the public increasingly engaged post-pandemic and with the ever more apparent effects of climate change highlighting the urgency of the situation. The international profile of Catwalk, supported by inspirational and like-minded partners, is the epitome of our central message that, through collaboration, benefits can be achieved for individuals and the collective.

About Catmosphere

Founded in 2021 by HRH Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Catmosphere is a foundation that uses the stories of the 7 Big Cats (Leopard, Lion, Cheetah, Jaguar, Tiger, Puma, Snow Leopard, with a special focus on the Arabian Leopard), and their conservation challenges to encourage us all to take action to address our collective wellbeing. Catmosphere’s initiatives aim to fuse the concepts of health and conservation to straddle sectors, audiences and partnerships in uniquely impactful ways.

Catmosphere’s awareness-raising campaign, Catwalk, is positioned to amplify the joint work of the Royal Commission of AlUla (RCU) and Panthera in securing a future for the Critically Endangered Arabian Leopard in its native habitat. 

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) was established to protect and safeguard AlUla, a region of outstanding natural and cultural significance in North-West Saudi Arabia. RCU, which is regenerating a 22,561km2 area as a global destination for natural and cultural heritage, recognized the urgent need to conserve the Critically Endangered Arabian Leopard, by establishing a variety of initiatives. RCU partnered with world-leading wild cat conservation charity, Panthera, to secure a future for the Arabian Leopard in its native habitat. RCU has also committed USD 25 million to the Arabian Leopard Fund, an independent organization created to implement conservation projects across the Leopard’s home range. RCU has designated five nature reserves covering 12,500km2 and will be working with leading experts including Panthera and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to activate, conserve and safeguard these protected areas with a vision that Leopards might someday roam free again.

Panthera is the only organization globally that is devoted exclusively to the conservation of the world’s 40 wild cat species and their ecosystems. Utilizing the expertise of the world’s premier cat biologists, Panthera develops and implements strategies to study and protect cheetahs, jaguars, leopards, lions, pumas, snow leopards and tigers, alongside the 33 small cat species, and their vast landscapes.