1206. World Wildlife Day

March 3 is World Wildlife Day, which commemorates the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)  on March 3, 1973, and aims to strengthen efforts to protect economically and culturally important wild fauna and flora.

The humanity depends on wildlife and biodiversity-based resources for everything from food to fuel, medicines, shelter and clothing. Nature provides important services that maintain ecosystems, regulate natural processes, support biodiversity, and support human livelihoods, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Forests alone are home to 60,000 tree species, 80% of amphibians, and 75% of birds, and provide natural capital in the form of food, medicines, and income to more than 1.6 billion people.

With more than one million species estimated to be at risk of extinction, innovative financing for wildlife conservation is more urgent than ever. With more than half of the world's GDP dependent on nature, biodiversity loss poses a major threat to financial stability. For example, fishing accounts for more than 10% of GDP in some countries, yet more than one-third of marine fish species are overfished, leading to unemployment, economic disruption, and illegal fishing practices.

Agriculture is also cited as one of the largest causes of biodiversity loss, but evidence shows that sustained productivity gains from improved crops have reduced the expansion of cultivated land, reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from land use, and saved thousands of threatened plant and animal species, all while providing nutritious food for the world's population. To achieve both food security and wildlife conservation, food innovation that improves yields while reducing environmental impacts is needed.

Contributor, IIYAMA Miyuki, Information Program