March 3rd is officially marked as World Wildlife Day! It was on the 68th session, on 20 December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973 – as UN World Wildlife Day. A special day is assigned in order to celebrate and also to raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. The UNGA resolution also designated the CITES Secretariat as the facilitator for the global observance of this special day for wildlife on the UN calendar. World Wildlife Day has now become the most important global annual event dedicated to wildlife. So, know more about World Wildlife Day.
World Wildlife Day 2023
How many square kilometers does the Great Barrier Reef cover? According to the 2019 IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, approximately what percentage of species are already threatened with extinction? How many sharks are killed each year (mostly to make shark fin soup)? What percent of global populations of birds, fish, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles have declined over the last 40 years?
Answers to the above questions will strengthen the importance of a day for World Wildlife awareness and protection.
The diverse wildlife as attributed to the biosphere in many ways. The food, air, and the energy the biosphere receives in due to the interplay between all the inhabitants. However, unsustainable human activities and overexploitation of the species and natural resources that form the territories and ecosystems of all wildlife are jeopardizing the biodiversity. Nearly a quarter of all species are immediately at risk of progressing towards extinction, and this would only speed up the disappearance of countless organisms, putting humans too in danger.
According to the research conducted by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) if the unsustainable human activity, climate change, and habitat degradation are left unchecked, up to a million species could disappear in the coming decades. So, the importance of the conservation of our present flora and fauna is a very crucial task for this hour.
World Wildlife Day Theme 2023
The World Wildlife Day (WWD) 2023 theme is “Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation”
- The World Wildlife Day (WWD) 2022 theme is “Safeguarding key species for ecosystem restoration”
- 2020 – ‘Sustaining all life on Earth’
- 2019- ‘Life below water: for people and planet’
- 2018- ‘Big Cats: Predators under Threat’
- 2017- ‘Listen to the Young Voices’
World Wildlife Day Activities
UN suggests all its members and interested individuals get involved in the celebration which also raises the protection of wildlife. It includes:
- Observe and raise awareness of the theme for World Wildlife Day 2023
- associate the celebrations with major national and international conservation events
- build collaborative partnerships
- organize campaigns to support the conservation and sustainable use of wild animals and plants and use targeted strategies to influence consumer behavior and reduce demand for illegally sourced wildlife and their products
- make use of the World Wildlife Day logo as widely as possible
UN also explains certain ways through which we can get into spreading awareness:
- Get to know and share with family and friends regarding the animal and plant species under threat where you live, in your area or country, and what can be done to conserve them
- Spread the word on social media
- Bring World Wildlife Day with you to class and talk to students and educators about wildlife and biodiversity.
World Wildlife Day Quotes 2023
- Wildlife is something which man cannot construct. Once it is gone, it is gone forever. Man can rebuild a pyramid, but he can’t rebuild ecology, or a giraffe. – Joy Adamson
- Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect man. – Stewart Udall
- Whenever we encounter wild animals in nature, we must only ever show kindness and compassion. – Paul Oxton
- The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must and we will. – Theodore Roosevelt
- Wildlife needs wilderness-not just to survive, but also to live freely. Sadly, many species struggle to survive due to increased human activity and expansion into habitats they call home. – Zoe Helene
World Wildlife Day Quiz 2023
1. In which year did the United Nations General Assembly in its 68th session designate 3rd March as UN World Wildlife Day?
2. What is the theme for World Wildlife Day 2022
Content Courtesy: https://www.wildlifeday.org, https://www.undp.org/
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