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| Art Card by Mika Orolfo |
Every 3rd of March, the world celebrates World Wildlife Day. It is a day specially dedicated to all creatures that roam, swim, and fly. Animal lovers, nature advocates, and everyone is called to be aware of the threats to global biodiversity and actively participate in contributing to the welfare of animals and ecosystems alike.
The theme for this year's World Wildlife Day is Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation. It acknowledges the crucial role of partnerships—that if we truly want to protect and improve our wildlife, we must act together.
Governments are urged to establish partnerships with the private sector. Organizations should also collaborate with each other in working on projects that would benefit nature. As said by CITES Chief Ivonne Higuero, "Partnerships for conservation are vital, as no organisation, and that includes the UN, can tackle the biodiversity crisis on their own." This year’s theme also signifies the importance of reaching out to local communities and engaging with them so that issues can be properly addressed from the ground up.
This year’s theme expresses that by working together across sectors, boundaries, and jurisdictions, each and every single one of us can contribute towards fairer wildlife and fight wildlife-related crimes and crisis. Partnerships act as a bridge that binds people together so that collective efforts will truly bring efficient and long-lasting benefits.
It is important to recognize one of the organizations that lead in terms of wildlife conservation, the World Wildlife Fund. WWF, which originated in Switzerland, was founded by passionate individuals who deeply care for nature. The World Wildlife Fund focuses on securing necessary funding for the protection of wildlife against threats posed by human actions.
For more than 60 years, the organization has led numerous efforts across various fronts to protect wildlife. Collaboration is vital to WWF's work, as such with HP's 2021 $80 million expansion of a forest conservation partnership with WWF to aid and advance nearly 1 million acres of forest around the world by the year 2030. Moreover, the WWF currently has 690,000 activists and 5 million members globally.
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| Photo by the WWF |
It is important to note that one does not need to be a member of a big organization or join local protests against infrastructure building on important nature grounds in order to partake in the celebration of World Wildlife Day. There are many ways to show our support and a number of these can be easily done from the comfort of our own homes.
Watch a movie
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| Photo by Childhood101 |
Not just any movie, of course. There are numerous documentaries on popular streaming platforms that can pique human interest, especially on the subject of nature. Some of these are Our Planet, Wild Babies, and Our Great National Parks—all of these are available on Netflix. If you are spending time with your family, especially kids, you may opt to watch animated movies that not only show the beauty in nature but also give morals and humanity in terms of taking care of it. Dreamwork’s Madagascar franchise and Disney’s Lion King will definitely affect your children's thinking about animals living in the wild. Another suggestion would be the list Rotten Tomatoes published which showcases 16 nature documentary shows and movies.
Be updated
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| Photo by the BBC Wildlife (March 2023 Issue) |
It only takes a few seconds to search for news regarding wildlife in any part of the world. Although simple at first, awareness about global issues is a great start to being involved in the conversation around nature and wildlife. Subscribing to magazines and journals that cover an array of topics concerning wildlife is also a way to be updated; examples of such magazines and journals are National Wildlife Magazine, BBC Wildlife Magazine, and Wildlife Biology.
Do your part
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| Photo from Visayas State University |
Today, we highlight the call to action in protecting wildlife but the call must continue to take place every day. We need to act together in order to reach our common goal. Let us fulfill our roles for the planet and create partnerships for the future and protection of wildlife.
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