Africa: Wildlife Conservation Finance - Investing in People and Planet for World Wildlife Day 2025

12 November 2024
United Nations Development Programme (New York)

Geneva — In 2025, World Wildlife Day will be celebrated under the critical theme of "Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet." The year 2025 will also coincide with the 50th anniversary of the entry into force of CITES.

From the highland steppe to the coral reefs, wild animals and plants hold intrinsic value. As essential parts of Earth's intricate web of life, they sustain ecosystems, regulate natural processes, and support biodiversity.

Wildlife also provides essential services that support human livelihoods and contribute to achieving the Strategic Vision of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) for 2030 (CITES Strategic Vision: 2021-2030), the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

With more than 1 million species now estimated to be threatened with extinction amid the intensifying triple planetary crisis, innovative finance for wildlife conservation has never been more urgent. Over half of the world's gross domestic product (GDP) is dependent on nature, making biodiversity loss an increasing threat to financial stability and livelihoods.

In 2025, World Wildlife Day will be celebrated under the critical theme of "Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet." The year 2025 will also coincide with the 50th anniversary of the entry into force of CITES.

Building on the collaborative spirit of previous World Wildlife Day celebrations, World Wildlife Day 2025 (WWD2025) events will serve as a platform for exchanging ideas, showcasing solutions and advancing the conversation on how innovative finance can contribute to halting biodiversity loss, raising the interest of private sector stakeholders to invest in wildlife conservation, and creating a sustainable future.

CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero said: "We have a responsibility to unlock the power and agility of the finance sector and mainstream nature-positive considerations in the spheres of investment. Wildlife conservation finance is about conserving plant and animal species in the wild, and contributing to the conservation of our planet's biodiversity that sustains all ecosystems and communities worldwide."

Organized with partner organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Fund for Animal Welfare (ifaw), Jackson Wild, WILDLABS and others, the WWD2025 in-person and online activities will aim to:

  • Showcase inspirational stories and solutions, as well as key actors and leaders, in wildlife conservation finance through various media (e.g., film, photography, art, etc.)
  • Provide a knowledge base for stakeholders, including youth, civil society, national governments, and relevant UN agencies, to access data and insights on innovative finance
  • Bring together diverse stakeholders from governments, financial institutions, businesses, and civil society to exchange and explore innovative financing mechanisms that mobilize resources for wildlife conservation
  • Foster collaboration among different stakeholders and sectors in bridging wildlife conservation funding gaps.

Leading up to the high-level United Nations event for World Wildlife Day 2025 on Monday, 3 March 2025, the online celebration activities will include the annual Jackson Wild Film Showcase and ifaw Youth Art Contest.

In line with the UN General Assembly Resolution proclaiming World Wildlife Day, the CITES Secretariat calls on all member States and organizations of the United Nations system and other global, regional and sub-regional organizations, non-governmental organizations and all interested individuals, to:

  • observe and raise awareness of the theme for World Wildlife Day 2025;
  • organize local World Wildlife Day celebrations in accordance with the 2025 theme;
  • involve indigenous peoples, local communities and youth with experience and knowledge in wildlife conservation and trade in all World Wildlife Day 2025 events and celebrations;
  • make use of the World Wildlife Day logos and 2025 outreach material (coming soon) as widely as possible.

Read the original article on UNDP.

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