World Wildlife Day is marked annually on March 3 to celebrate the unique wild species and create awareness to help conserve them.
- The theme for World Wildlife Day 2023 was ‘Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation’. It was chosen to highlight the need ‘to work across governments, civil society, and the private sector to turn commitment into action’.
Key points
- The 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) designated March 3 as World Wildlife Day on December 20, 2013, with an aim to raise awareness about the conservation of the world’s wild flora and fauna.
- It was on March 3 when the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) took place in 1973.
- The convention helps ensure that international trade does not pose any threat to endangered species of plants and animals. This year, the day marks the 50th anniversary of the convention.
- The idea to celebrate March 3 as World Wildlife Day was previously proposed at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP16) in Bangkok in March 2013.
- The CITES Secretariat has been tasked with facilitating the implantation of World Wildlife Day.
