March 6, 2023: When is World Wildlife Day celebrated? When was it first established? A look at the World's top endangered species.
March 3 has been celebrated as World Wildlife Day since 2013 by the United Nations to celebrate the global wilderness and biodiversity and their contribution towards human welfare and the overall health of our planet.
March 3 was chosen as the special date to mark this ceremony since it is the birthdate of CITES, or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.
This year, World Wildlife Day was celebrated as an exceedingly special ceremony since CITES turned 50!
During the United Nations General Assembly’s 68th session on December 20, 2013, March 3 was signed as World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness against animal discrimination, illegal trading of vulnerable species and biodiversity conservation. Today, World Wildlife Day is the most significant global annual event dedicated to wildlife.
The theme for this year’s ceremony was ‘Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation’ to commemorate CITES and its contribution towards the environment in terms of global partnerships and conservation programmes. The day mostly focused on two sub-themes:
- Marine life and oceans: The significance of marine conservation, with 70% of our planet being covered by water.
- Business & finance: Conservation efforts need to be globally sustained and expanded through proper funding and business plans. If we have to reverse the loss in biodiversity, we need to sign up for successful partnerships, including business.
The theme will celebrate people and organisations who are making a difference as well as the bridge that CITES strives to create for proper shaping together of partnerships that sustain global conservation efforts, sustainability programmes and wildlife awareness events.
Let us take a look at the World’s top endangered species and the areas they are endemic to:
[Source: World Wildlife Fund, WWF]
I) Javan Rhinos: Scientific name Rhinoceros sondaicus, this species of Rhinos are under the endangered species list mostly due to habitat loss and uncontrolled hunting, Javan rhinos have suffered a steady decline in their numbers. The rarest of the Javan species were once found in abundance throughout south-east Asia, but now can only be found on the island of Java, Indonesia – around 75 individuals.
They manage to thrive in the Ujung Kulon National Park, a World Heritage Site; although, they suffer heavy competition in terms of food from Arenga Palms, other than facing threats due to poaching, diseases and other natural catastrophes.
Picture source: https://www.worldwildlife.org/
II) Amur Leopard: With only around 100 individuals left in the entire world, the Amur leopards have been critically endangered since 1996 and are one of the rarest big cats globally. They are endemic to the far eastern regions of Russia and north-eastern China, and their population, fortunately, is increasing.
They exist in small numbers in protected areas of Russia and China, and they are also being increasingly moved into other protected areas outside of these habitats. However, even the remaining numbers face extinction threats from habitat loss and fragmentation, reduction in prey numbers, etc.
Picture source: TWITTER:@phillyzoo
III) Sunda Island Tiger: Also known as the Sumatran Tiger, the Sunda Island Tiger is the smallest tiger subspecies in the world. Only about 600 individuals are still left in the wild, and are endemic to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. They only weigh up to 140 kilograms.
Since human settlement has expanded into the habitats of Sunda Island tigers, a certain human-tiger conflict has developed. Other than this conflict, poaching and illegal trading also serve as serious threats to their existence.
Picture source: TWITTER/@SumatranTigerID
IV) Mountain Gorillas: Endemic to two isolated pockets of the world – a) high-altitude forests up in the volcanic, mountainous regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, and b) the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park of Uganda, the Mountain gorilla is a subspecies of the eastern gorilla.
Political instability along the Virunga Landscape acts as a serious threat to their population, along with several other extinction-threats. However, thanks to local and global interventions under the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, their numbers are also steadily increasing. Currently, about 1000 individuals have been accounted for in the wild.
Picture source: https://www.awf.org
V) Tapanuli Orangutan: A recently described species of orangutan, the Tapntuli orangutans exist in a single isolated population in the tropical forests of the Batang Toru ecosystem on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. One of the most critically endangered ape species in the whole world, only about 800 individuals of this species exist in the wild.
Habitat loss (majorly), agriculture, mining, hydroelectric and geothermal development are few of the most concerning threats to their population.
Picture source: wikipedia
