UN World Wildlife Day 2016

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The UN World Wildlife Day (WWD) celebrated every year on 3 March, is the international celebration of the many beautiful and varied forms of this planet’s wild fauna and flora, as well as an occasion to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that conservation provides to people.

The theme of this year’s celebration is “The future of wildlife is in our hands”, with a global focus on the conservation of African and Asian elephants through the subtheme of “The future of elephants is in our hands”. World Wildlife Day will be celebrated around the world, including main events at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The theme of this year’s WWD is especially relevant. Between 2010 and 2012 alone, as many as 10.000 African elephants were killed just for their ivory trunks. Poaching rates continue to remain higher than population growth rates, which is threatening their survival. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) reports that 1,215 rhinos were poached in South Africa alone in 2014 - this translates to one rhino killed every eight hours.

Wildlife has an intrinsic value and contributes to the ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic aspects of sustainable development and human well-being.

In 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted its first-ever resolution on wildlife trafficking. Commenting on the resolution, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said that “In calling for wildlife crime to be treated as a serious crime (…), the resolution sends a clear signal to organized criminal networks involved in this illicit trafficking.”

Wildlife trafficking and wildlife crime will also be major themes in the second United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA-2) which will take place from 23-27 May 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Furthermore, illegal wildlife trade will be the main theme of this year’s World Environment Day. Its global celebration will be hosted by Angola on the 5^th of June 2016.

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Launch of the EU action plan against Illegal Wildlife Trafficking

The European Union (EU) as well has for decades been supporting African countries in establishing and managing protected areas. Over the past 30 years, the EU has provided more than EUR 500 million for biodiversity conservation in Africa, and joined CITES in order to become a stronger actor in global efforts to protect the environment and prevent illegal trade.

Furthermore, the EU has strictly regulated the EU market to ensure that wildlife products only enter if they are of legal or sustainable origin, and has facilitated cooperation between enforcement agencies in Europe and at international level (source: European Commission).

On Friday 26 March 2016, just a few days ahead of World Wildlife Day, the European Commission presented its Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking. This Action Plan consists of three priorities:

(1) Tackle the reasons – reduce demand and supply of illegal wildlife products;

(2) Step up the fight against the criminal activities in the EU and globally;

(3) Build a global alliance of source, consumer and transit countries.

Read the whole Communication on the Action Plan here.

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On Wednesday 2 March 2016, the Action Plan and the issue of wildlife crime will be presented and discussed at the ‘MEPs for Wildlife’– event in the European Parliament, after which there will be a film screening of ‘Warlords of Ivory’. High-level Keynote speeches will be given by Commissioner Karmenu Vella and UNEP Director of the Division of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI) Mette Løyche Wilkie amongst others.

More information on the event can be foundhere.

Major international conference on wildlife crime: The Hague, 1-3 March 2016

The Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands in The Hague will host an international conference on wildlife crime from 1 to 3 March 2016 with the objective to identify some of the key international commitments to tackle wildlife crime which now need further efforts to turn them into much desired action. Mette Løyche Wilkie , UNEP Director of DEPI, will speak here as well.

More information on the event can be found here.

United Nations Environment Assembly 2, Nairobi, 23-27 May 2016

The UNEP Regional Office for Africa and UNDP will also be organizing a side-event at this year’s UNEA-2 on illegal wildlife trade: “Illegal trade in wildlife: High-level ministerial dialogue”.

More information on this side event and others can be found here.

For more information on World Wildlife Day, visit the website!