Hands Up for Elephants

03.03.2016 - World Wildlife Day is celebrated on March 3^rd under the theme “The future of wildlife is in our hands.”

This year’s World Wildlife Day focuses on African and Asian Elephants; about 100,000 elephants were estimated to be slaughtered for their ivory between 2010 and 2012. While we are seeing positive progress to tackle illicit wildlife trafficking, more needs to be done by all of us. On this World Wildlife Day, we hope to see even more commitments coming from countries and citizens around the world.

Poaching and trafficking in wildlife driven by transnational organized crime groups pose the most immediate threat to many iconic species.  Elephants, pangolins, rhinoceros, sharks, tigers and precious tree species are among the most critically poached and trafficked species across the world. The biggest threats to wildlife are habitat loss as well as overgrazing, farming and development.

To highlight the plight of elephants, the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) have teamed up in organizing an International Elephant Film Festival to raise global awareness of the various challenges facing the African and Asian elephants, and to mark World Wildlife Day 2016.  Winners of the festival will be announced on March 3^rd in New York and the winning films will be available to watch online.

Governments, law makers, enforcement officers, customs officials and park rangers across every region are scaling up their efforts to protect wildlife. It is also up to every citizen to protect wildlife and its habitat. Wildlife conservation furthers SDG 15: halting biodiversity loss.  We all have a role to play.  Our collective conservation actions can be the difference between a species surviving or disappearing.

You can get involved on social media with the hashtag #InOurHands

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UNRICs Related Links

· World Wildlife Day

· International Elephant Film Festival

· Sustainable Development Goals

Photo Credits

World Wildlife Day