World Wildlife Day is celebrated on 3 March – a call to protect biodiversity

Every year on 3 March, World Wildlife Day is celebrated around the world to draw public attention to the importance of wild animals and plants and the need to protect them. The day is a reminder that biodiversity is an essential precondition for healthy ecosystems, human well-being and a sustainable future.

World Wildlife Day is linked to the adoption of the CITES Convention (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) on 3 March 1973. The aim of the Convention is to ensure that international trade in wild species does not threaten their survival in nature. Currently, more than 30,000 species of wild animals and plants are covered by CITES. The Convention sets strict trade restrictions and control mechanisms to prevent overexploitation of species and illegal trade. About 80 CITES species are found in Latvia. You can find them on the website of the Nature Conservation Agency (in Latvian): https://www.daba.gov.lv/lv/cites-sugas.

Wild animals and plants keep ecosystems in balance, contribute to soil fertility, water quality and climate regulation, and provide people with food, medicinal substances and other natural resources. In addition, wild species have important cultural, educational and scientific value.

However, many wild species around the world and in Europe are seriously threatened. Habitat destruction and fragmentation, climate change, pollution, overexploitation of resources and illegal wildlife trade are significantly reducing biodiversity. That is why World Wildlife Day is a call to society, institutions and businesses to act responsibly – to choose legal and sustainable products, report violations and support nature conservation initiatives.

Photo: Andris Soms and Linda Uzule