The whole world is observing the World Wildlife Day 2020 on March 03, 2020.
“Today is World Wildlife Day with the theme, “Sustaining all life on Earth.” This encompasses all wild animal and plant species as a component of biodiversity, as well as the livelihoods of people,” UNESCO said in a statement marking #WWD2020.
#WWD2020: Species Extinction Rampant, says UN Chief
In observance of the special day, UN chief Guterres called on everyone for “a more caring, thoughtful and sustainable relationship with nature”.
“It seems that humanity has forgotten just how much we need nature for our survival and well-being,” the UN chief said in a statement.
Guterres said this while emphasizing on the growing exploitation of natural resources, globally.
Citing the 2019 Global Assessment, the UN Chief said the Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reports a rampant rise in the global rate of species extinction.
According to IPBES, the species extinction rate is “accelerating ‘tens to hundreds of times higher’ than before humans walked the earth”.
“Habitats and ecosystems, humanity is endangering both itself and the survival of countless species of wild plants and animals,” the UN chief adds.
In this regard, he urged the world to “remind ourselves of our duty to preserve and sustainably use the vast variety of life on the planet”.
“A world of thriving biodiversity provides the foundation we need to achieve our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of a world of dignity and opportunity for all people on a healthy planet”, the Secretary-General said in his concluding statement.
The World Wildlife Day aligns with four key UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDG-1 – To end poverty in all its forms everywhere
SDG-12 – To ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
SDG-14 – To conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
SDG-15 – To protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, takes on WWD2020 to raise “urgent awareness about the plight of nature, the plight of wildlife, and what this means for human wellbeing and the planet”.
“We are losing species at an average of 1000 times the natural extinction rate. This is a catastrophe we simply cannot afford,” says Andersen.
“Every single piece of the puzzle of life is essential and losing even the smallest of these pieces leaves us, and the entire planet, poorer”, maintained Ms. Higuero. When human actions endanger hundreds of thousands of species, as they are doing today, it is the entire biosphere – of which we too are a part – that is threatened,” says CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero.
Also known as the ‘Biodiversity Super Year’, the World Wildlife Day sets a major platform for global-level events highlighting biodiversity and encourages towards successful conservation and sustainable use of wildlife.
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