About World Wildlife Day :
- It is a United Nations International day to celebrate all the world's wild animals and plants and the contribution that they make to our lives and the health of the planet.
- It is celebrated every year on March 3.
- This date was chosen as it is the birthday of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, signed in 1973.
- The theme of World Wildlife Day 2023 is 'Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation'.
Key facts about CITES:
- CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments.
- Aim: To ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.
- It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (The World Conservation Union). It entered into force in July 1975.
- Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties– in other words, they have to implement the Convention – it does not take the place of national laws.
- The CITES Secretariat is administered by UNEPand is located in Geneva, Switzerland.
- The Conference of the Parties to CITES is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention and comprises all its parties.
