Study OAS · 03 March 2025

Investing in Nature: World Wildlife Day 2025

Date of Observation:

World Wildlife Day is celebrated on March 3, 2025.
This date commemorates the adoption of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) in 1973.

“Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet”
This theme underscores the need for innovative financial strategies to support conservation efforts and ensure sustainable funding for protecting biodiversity.

Established by the United Nations in 2013 to promote global awareness on the importance of wildlife protection.
The day honours the signing of CITES, a treaty with 184 member countries that regulates international wildlife trade to prevent species extinction.

International agreement established in 1973.
Purpose: To ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
Mechanism: Regulates and monitors international trade in selected species of plants and animals.
Parties: Currently has 184 Parties (countries and regional economic integration organizations).
How it works:
- Species are listed in Appendices I, II, and III based on their conservation status and the level of trade control needed.
- Appendix I: Species that are the most endangered and are threatened with extinction. Commercial trade in these species is generally prohibited.
- Appendix II: Species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but trade must be controlled to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.
- Appendix III: Species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade.
Secretariat: Administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Significance: CITES is a powerful tool for wildlife conservation, ensuring sustainable international trade in wild species and combating illegal wildlife trade.

Full Name: United Nations Environment Programme.
Establishment: Founded in 1972 as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm.
Mandate: To set the global environmental agenda, promote the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serve as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.
Mission: To inspire, inform and enable nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
Key Functions:
- Assessing global, regional and national environmental conditions and trends.
- Developing international environmental instruments.
- Strengthening national institutions for sound environmental management.
- Facilitating the transfer of knowledge and technology for sustainable development.
Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya.
Significance: UNEP is the leading global environmental authority, shaping the global environmental agenda and working to address the planet's most pressing environmental challenges. Their leadership in establishing World Seagrass Day underscores the importance of marine conservation on the global stage.