World Wildlife Day (WWD) is celebrated annually on March 3, and this year’s event is themed “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration”. The celebrations seek to draw attention to the conservation status of some of the most critically endangered species of wild fauna and flora, and to drive discussions towards imagining and implementing solutions to conserve them.
All conversations are inspired by and seek to inform efforts towards the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero hunger) 12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns), 13 (Climate Action) 14 (Life Below Water) and 15 (Life on Land).
According to data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, over 8,400 species of wild fauna and flora are critically endangered, while close to 30,000 more are understood to be endangered or vulnerable. Based on these estimates, it is suggested that over a million species are threatened with extinction.
World Wildlife Day 2022 influencer quote.
❝ To create resiliency within ecosystems there must be biodiversity, that is why it’s so important to recover key species that play pivotal roles within any given ecosystem. I am so pleased that this year’s World Wildlife Day is focusing on recovering key species within ecosystems.❞
Bonnie Wright – Actress, conservation activist and influencer
Continued loss of species, habitats and ecosystems also threatens all life on Earth, including us. People everywhere rely on wildlife and biodiversity-based resources to meet all our needs, from food, to fuel, medicines, housing, and clothing. Millions of people also rely on nature as the source of their livelihoods and economic opportunities.
In 2022, World Wildlife Day is set therefore to drive the debate towards the imperative need to reverse the fate of the most critically endangered species, to support the restoration of their habitats and ecosystems and to promote their sustainable use by humanity.
World Wildlife Day 2022 Virtual Global Event
The 2022 celebration will be held online at 14:00 (WAT). The event seeks to bring together representatives of UN member States, UN System organizations and multilateral environmental agreements, civil society, and the private sector for a series of discussions along the theme of “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration“.
Join the YouTube live stream event HERE
Article originally published by the United Nations for World Wildlife Day.