Through testing with targeted audiences, the strategy found that the most positively received messages in the South African context related to economic values (biodiversity as a national asset), emotional values (biodiversity as our children’s legacy) and practical values (practical solutions) (SANBI, 2011). The main finding of Making the Case for Biodiversity strategy was that the current messaging was based too strongly in the traditional biodiversity sector language of ‘fear of loss’. Whilst this might portray the factual realities of the state and trends of biodiversity, it bred apathy in the target audiences, and therefore did not engender a need to address biodiversity loss. Based on the lessons from South Africa at least, messaging should instead focus on delivering a value proposition for biodiversity, although not necessarily a monetary value.