World Wildlife Day is being celebrated on 3rd March every year. UN General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 3rd March – the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) – as UN World Wildlife Day. This day was proclaimed to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants.
The theme for World Wildlife Day 2019 is ‘Life below Water: for People and Planet’. World Wildlife Day 2019 aligns closely with SDG 14 (life below water), and it is provide an opportunity to highlight the value of marine wildlife, celebrate successful initiatives to conserve and sustainably manage these species, and scale up support for future initiatives.
Over three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. Marine wildlife has sustained human civilization and development for millennia, from providing food and nourishment, to material for handicraft and construction. The capacity of life below water to provide these services is severely impacted, as our planet’s oceans and the species that live within it are under assault from an onslaught of threats. As much as 40% of the ocean is now heavily affected by the most significant and direct threat of over exploitation of marine species as well as other threats such as pollution, loss of coastal habitats and climate change. These threats have a strong impact on the lives and livelihoods of those who depend on marine ecosystem services, particularly women and men in coastal communities.
On this World Wildlife Day, I urge all to take responsibility for jointly hands with common people, Government agencies, NGOs and people of all the community to enhance public awareness to focus on life below water. It is a great opportunity to raise awareness about the breathtaking diversity of marine life, the crucial importance of marine species to human development, and it will continue to provide these services for future generations.
I urge all citizens to join us to achieve this year’s theme.
Director of Environment