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Updated March 3rd, 2020 at 16:46 IST

World Wildlife Day 2020: UN chief calls for 'more caring' relationship with nature

Decided seven years ago by the UN at its 68th session, March 3 marks the World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of nature's wild fauna and flora.

Reported by: Aanchal Nigam
World Wildlife Day 2020
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Decided seven years ago by the United Nations at its 68th session, March 3 marks the World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of nature's wild fauna and flora. UN has stated that people around the globe require “Mother Earth” in order to survive and UN Secretary-General, António Guterres advocated for “a more caring, thoughtful and sustainable relationship with nature”. The celebration of the day was declared on December 20, 2013, in Thailand, and during his address on March 3, Guterres talked about “the rich tapestry” which connects humanity to the biological diversity. 

According to the official website of UN, Guterres said, “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”. 

Read - World Wildlife Day 2020: History, Theme And Significance

Read - 'India's Wildlife Wealth Is A Testimony To Its Robust Ecology': Prakash Javadekar

'Humanity has forgotten'

On his address for the World Wildlife Day, the UN chief claimed that “humanity has forgotten” the need of nature for its survival and well-being. Furthermore, the needs along with size of the world population continue to grow, people “insist” on the exploitation of natural resources including wild animals, plants and their habitats in an “unsustainable manner”. 

Guterres further pointed out that in its Global Assessment of 2019, the Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) underlined how the current rate of species extinction worldwide is not only rampant, but its is accelerating at a rate that is “tens to hundreds of times higher” than the time humans were not present on 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”. 

For this day, Guterres urged everyone to remind themselves of their duty to preserve and sustainably use the vast variety of life on the planet. While citing the UN's sustainable development goals, he said that a world of thriving biodiversity is the foundation people need to achieve them. The theme of this year's World Wildlife Day is “Sustaining all life on Earth” to encompass all wild animals and plant species as the component of biodiversity. 

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Read - China 'comprehensively Bans' Illegal Wildlife Trade Over Coronavirus Outbreak

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Published March 3rd, 2020 at 16:46 IST

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