The theme of the UN World Wildlife Day 2022 is Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration. The day to raise awareness of the state of endangered and critically endangered wildlife, and to highlight the power of conservation efforts seeking to reverse their fate.
On 20 December 2013, the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly agreed that 3 March - the date of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973 - would become the annual UN World Wildlife Day: a day dedicated to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wildlife.
The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), together with other United Nations organisations, facilitates the implementation of World Wildlife Day.
According to CITES, figures from the Red List of Threatened Species maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature show that over 8,400 species of wild fauna and flora are critically endangered, while close to 30,000 more are classed as endangered or vulnerable. Based on these estimates for species that have been assessed, it is suggested that over a million species globally may be threatened with extinction. This continued loss of species and degradation of habitats and ecosystems threatens humanity as a whole, as we rely on wildlife and biodiversity to meet many of our needs. Therefore, the World Wildlife Day also aims to support efforts to reach the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The CITES Secretariat calls on all States and organizations, be it global, regional or sub-regional, as well as all interested individuals, to:
- observe and raise awareness of the theme for World Wildlife Day;
- involve indigenous peoples and rural and local communities with experience and knowledge in the use and conservation of vulnerable species and ecosystems in all World Wildlife Day events and celebrations;
- associate the celebrations with major national and international conservation events;
- build collaborative partnerships;
- make use of the World Wildlife Day logos as widely as possible.
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