Inaugural World Wildlife Day Draws Praise from Top World Organizations

Today, March 3rd, as decreed by the United Nations last year, is the first World Wildlife Day.

On this day, communities around the world will unite to celebrate the importance of wildlife, especially endangered and threatened species.

World Wildlife Day has roots dating back half a century, when on March 3, 1973 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was adopted. CITES is a critical international treaty that protects wildlife from the harms of global trade.

More than 180 nations have signed the CITES treaty and abide by its regulations, and it is recognized as one of the world's most important conservation initiatives.

"For millennia, people and cultures have relied on nature's rich diversity of wild plants and animals for food, clothing, medicine and spiritual sustenance," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement on the World Wildlife Day website. "Wildlife remains integral to our future through its essential role in science, technology and recreation, as well as its place in our continued heritage."

The UN chief said there are a great many threats to wildlife, but they can be reduced through a collective effort by the people of the world.

"On this inaugural World Wildlife Day, I urge all sectors of society to end illegal wildlife trafficking and commit to trading and using wild plants and animals sustainably and equitably," he said.

CITES Secretary General John E. Scanlon said in a statement that support for World Wildlife Day has come from all over the world.

It gives us great hope that we can secure a sustainable future for wild plants and animals, as well as for ourselves."

"This special Day in the UN calendar has given the world a chance to reconnect with our planet's wild side and has drawn global attention to our collective responsibility - as citizens and consumers - to bring the illegal wildlife trade to an end," Scanlon said.

When the World Wildlife Day website debuted last month, Scanlon offered his inaugural remarks:

"This illegal trade is now threatening the survival of some of our most charismatic species, as well as some plants and animals you may never have heard of," he said. "So as we are celebrating wildlife let's do whatever we can - as citizens and as consumers - to bring this illegal trade to an end. Let's work for a future where people and wildlife coexist in harmony."

Use #worldwildlifeday to get involved in the conservation and visit the website at www.wildlifeday.org