Surfing Republica - Today, March 3rd, is World Wildlife Day
The incalculable value of wildlife.
Wild animals and wild plants, in addition to their intrinsic value, contribute to the ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic aspects of human well-being and sustainable development.
World Wildlife Day provides an opportunity to celebrate the beauty and diversity of wild flora and fauna, and to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that conserving these life forms brings to humanity. This day also reminds us of the urgent need to combat environmental crime and the decline in species caused by human activity, which have far-reaching negative economic, environmental, and social consequences. This is why Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 focuses on halting biodiversity loss.
"Forests and livelihoods: sustaining people and preserving the planet"
Forests and woodlands, which cover almost a third of the Earth's land surface, are fundamental pillars for human livelihoods and well-being.
More than 800 million people live in tropical forests and savannas in developing countries. Indigenous and rural communities maintain a particularly close relationship with these natural systems. They depend on them for essential needs, from food and shelter to energy and medicine, but they also maintain a strong personal, cultural, and spiritual connection to these environments. Indigenous peoples and local communities are also the historical custodians of the most important reserves of biodiversity, including forests.
The ecosystem services and resources provided by forests and woodlands—from filtering and storing freshwater to ensuring soil fertility and regulating the climate—are essential to the global economy and to people worldwide. However, forests are currently at the crossroads of the multiple planetary crises we face, from climate change to biodiversity loss and the social and economic repercussions of the ongoing global pandemic.
The theme of World Wildlife Day 2021, "Forests and livelihoods: sustaining people and preserving the planet," seeks to shed light on the links between the state of our planet's forests and woodlands and the preservation of the millions of livelihoods that depend directly on them, paying particular attention to the traditional knowledge of communities that have managed forest ecosystems and their wildlife for centuries.
This aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 1, 12, 13 and 15, and their broad commitments to alleviating poverty, ensuring the sustainable use of resources and preserving life on Earth.
