World Wildlife Day
Next: March 3, 2027
For every wild thing that shares our world.
The story
Where it comes from
On 3 March 1973, in Washington, D.C., governments signed CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, to make sure that trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Forty years later, at a CITES meeting in Bangkok in March 2013, Thailand sponsored a resolution naming the anniversary World Wildlife Day. The UN General Assembly proclaimed it on 20 December 2013, to celebrate and raise awareness of the world's wild fauna and flora.
How it's celebrated
The CITES Secretariat leads the day with UN partners, and each year it chooses a theme, from forests and oceans to the people who live alongside wildlife. Zoos, national parks, museums and schools hold talks, walks and exhibitions. It is a fine day to learn the name of a wild neighbour, whether a bird, a tree or a frog, and to find out how it is doing.
Did you know
- The 1973 meeting that drew up CITES was known as the 'World Wildlife Conference'.
- CITES entered into force on 1 July 1975, the earliest of the six global treaties on biodiversity to do so.
- Today CITES regulates or bans international trade in more than 38,000 species of animals and plants.
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- International Women's Day · March 8, 2027