World Wildlife Day: A Look At How We Drove Endangered Species To Extinction & Continue To Do So

March 3 is observed as World Wildlife Day to remind humans that the plant that we live on does not just belong to us, but also the millions of species of animals, reptiles, birds, aquatic creatures, trees, and plants.

The theme of World Wildlife Day 2020, ¡°Sustaining all life on Earth¡±, encompasses all wild animal and plant species as a component of biodiversity. It also shines a light on the livelihoods of people, especially those who live closest to nature.

Sudarsan Pattnaik

In December 2013, the General Assembly decided to proclaim 3 March as World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world¡¯s wild fauna and flora.

The day is marked at a time when the world's biodiversity is facing threats on a scale that has not been seen before.

According to a 2019 UN report, one million species may be pushed to extinction in the next few years, with serious consequences for human beings as well as the rest of life on Earth. This, in other words, means that around 25% of all animal and plant species face the threat of being wiped out in our lifetime.

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More plants and animals are threatened with extinction now than any other period in human history, it concludes. Nature¡¯s current rate of decline is unparalleled, and the accelerating rate of extinctions ¡°means grave impacts on people around the world are now likely," it says.

Deforestation, overfishing, development, and other human activities have been blamed for the existential threat of earth as we know it.

41 per cent amphibians are endangered. There are over 848 endangered amphibian species on the IUCN list. There are 5,450 species of mammals. Over 25 per cent of these are endangered. 14 per cent of the roughly 18,000 species of birds in the world out of are endangered.

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Another major threat is faced by the coral reefs in the oceans. Due to the rise in ocean temperatures that have devastated the marine ecosystem.

Coral reefs lost to warming and acidifying oceans could cause a collapse in commercial and indigenous fisheries, affecting billions of coastal residents who rely on seafood for protein.

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Mangrove, which plays a key role in protecting the coastal areas from storms and flooding are also dying out in a rapid phase.

Humanity is weaved into ¡°the rich tapestry of life that makes up our world¡¯s biological diversity¡±, said Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres. ¡°All human civilizations have been, and continue to be, built on the use of wild and cultivated species of flora and fauna, from the food we eat, to the air we breathe¡±.

And yet, today, close to a quarter of all species on the planet are in danger of becoming extinct in the next few decades.

¡°It seems that humanity has forgotten just how much we need nature for our survival and well-being¡±, he bemoaned.

As the world population and its needs continue to grow, people insist on exploiting natural resources ¨C including wild plants and animals and their habitats ¨C ¡°in an unsustainable manner¡±, said Guterres.

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He pointed out that in its 2019 Global Assessment, the Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlighted how the current global rate of species extinction is not only rampant, but accelerating at a rate that is ¡°tens to hundreds of times higher¡± than before human beings walked the earth.

¡°By overexploiting wildlife¡±, the UN chief said, ¡°habitats and ecosystems, humanity is endangering both itself and the survival of countless species of wild plants and animals¡±.

On this World Wildlife Day, Guterres urged everyone to ¡°remind ourselves of our duty to preserve and sustainably use the vast variety of life on the planet¡±.