Mumbai, Jun 5 (IANS): Actress Dia Mirza was on World Environment Day on Monday appointed brand ambassador for the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), an official said.

Dia, an ardent advocate for nature conservation in India, has consistently used her celebrity status to bring conservation issues before a wider, more mainstream audience.

She has been the face of several pivotal environmental and humanitarian campaigns and was last year made an ambassador for the Swachh Bharat Mission's 'Swachh Saathi' programme.

Dia has lent her support to WTI's wildlife conservation endeavours for several years now and is a founder-member of the organisation's Club Nature initiative, a statement from the WTI said.

"I'm proud to be part of the team that's securing India's natural heritage," Dia said.

"I deeply admire WTI's mission to conserve wildlife and its habitat and to work for the welfare of individual wild animals in partnership with communities and governments. In my role as brand ambassador, I look forward to launching and elevating the message of WTI's next vital nationwide campaign, where we celebrate India's mighty elephants through the Gaj Yatra," she added.

According to Vivek Menon, Executive Director and CEO of WTI, Dia has been supporting their work for long.

"Over the next few months we will be launching our mega campaign to celebrate elephants across the country, and having Dia on board as a social influencer would be an eminent addition to our team," Menon said.

Launching in August 2017, the Gaj Yatra is part awareness campaign, part celebration. It is an 18-month road show through 13 states; a confluence of local art, culture and imagination that aims to build a groundswell of public support for India's elephants.