Stop War on Nature, Secretary-General Urges in World Wildlife Day Message, Urging Bold Action to Protect Habitats, End Fossil-Fuel Pollution

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Wildlife Day, observed on 3 March:

On World Wildlife Day, we reflect on our responsibility to protect the magnificent diversity of life on our planet.  And we recognize our abject failure.

Human activities are laying waste to once-thriving forests, jungles, farmland, oceans, rivers, seas and lakes.  One million species teeter on the brink of extinction due to habitat destruction, fossil-fuel pollution and the worsening climate crisis.  We must end this war on nature.  The good news is that we have the tools, the knowledge and the solutions.

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which has helped protect thousands of plants and animals.  And last year’s agreement on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework marked an important step towards putting our planet on a path to healing.

As this year’s theme — “Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation” — highlights, we need to work across Governments, civil society and the private sector to turn commitment into action.  And we need much bolder actions now to cut emissions, accelerate renewables and build climate resilience.  Throughout, we need to place the voices of local communities and indigenous people — our world’s most effective guardians of biodiversity — front and centre.

Today and every day, let us all do our part to preserve natural habitats and build a thriving future for all living beings.