Environmental Events 2018: What is World Wildlife Day?

Our last post on World Vegan Day highlighted that just 4% of the world’s mammals live in the wild. This has a huge impact on the environment, as the other 96% is made up of humans and livestock. However, the loss of wildlife is also impacting the biodiversity of our planet.

World Wildlife Day takes place on the 3^rd of March each year to try and combat this mass loss of wildlife.

History

Since 2013, the world has come together on March 3^rd to raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. This day is an opportunity for us to celebrate and appreciate the many forms of wild fauna and flora that this planet is home to and promote the variety of benefits that this biodiversity provides.

But it’s also a time to be reminded of the urgent need for change. The increase in wildlife crime and the human-induced reduction of species has had, and continues to have, huge economic, environmental and social impacts on earth.

World Wildlife Day 2018

The main focus and theme of World Wildlife Day 2018 was ‘Big cats: predators under threat’. Big cats are some of the most beloved and widely admired animals around the world. But these large and powerful creatures are facing multiple threats every day, mostly caused by the human population.

Hunting, illegal trade and loss of habitat and prey are among the greatest causes of the loss of big cats – all caused by human behaviour. Tiger populations have dropped by a staggering 95% over the past 100 years and the African lion has seen a 40% decrease in population in only 20 years.

Big cat classification

A number of people commonly associate the term ‘big cat’ with lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars. These are the 4 largest wild cats that can roar and generally get the most attention. But it’s not just these well-known creatures that need attention. That’s why World Wildlife Day is using the expanded definition of the term, including the likes of cheetahs, snow leopards and pumas.

Get involved

Unless you’re an illegal poacher or regularly destroy much-needed land, you might think there’s little you can do to help the cause. But by simply learning about big cats and the issues that are being faced worldwide, you can help to spread the word and keep the conservation going for generations to come.

If you’ve not already had the chance, be sure to check out our previous posts on Earth Day, World Cleanup Day and World Vegan Day, along with our next post on World Water Day. For more information on the issues facing the environment, take a look at the article ‘Micropollutants, Contaminants of Emerging Concern and endocrine disruptors in treated water’.