World Wildlife Day

Today is World Wildlife Day!

World Wildlife Day was first proclaimed in 2013 by the United Nations General Assembly during its 68th session. That's because on this day in 1973, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna was adopted. CITES, aka the Washington Convention, was a treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the dangers of trade. CITES acts as protection for over 40,000 species of plants and animals, in varying levels. You can learn more about CITES here. 

As such, World Wildlife Day is about celebrating the biodiversity of the Earth, the many species of plants and animals that reside on it, as well as raising awareness of the various threats to said biodiversity, like over-hunting, illegal trade, and even climate change. Earth's animals and plants provide great value in many ways to humanity including in science and culture. Not to mention it's neat seeing all the crazy lifeforms that can sprout up on this Little Blue Dot of ours. 

So, yeah. Take some time today to learn about a plant or animal. You'll be glad you did! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!