World Environment Day or WED is a special day in the schedule of the United Nations. It is one of the avenues the UN uses to advocate for protection of nature and also call for political activity on the same. Environment Day promotes the ways that can be used to protect nature and investing more in the natural resources. It has been one of the great annual events for years which is being celebrated worldwide by the people aiming to protect the unique and life nurturing Nature on every 5th June.

This special day celebrated in different ways across the globe with road rallies, parades, tree planting, shows and environment cleanup campaigns. In nations like, for example, the UK and the United States, this day is also utilized to approach the political class to up their diversion and make genuine move towards protecting the environment.

World Environment Day offers a chance to confirm or even sign up for global natural protections. While this day is celebrated around the world, the United Nations World Environment day is not a public holiday, and commending it won’t debilitate on daily running/operations of organizations.

GO WILD FOR LIFE

The booming illegal trade in wildlife products is eroding Earth’s precious biodiversity, robbing us of our natural heritage and driving whole species to the brink of extinction. The killing and smuggling is also undermining economies and ecosystems, fuelling organized crime, and feeding corruption and insecurity across the globe.

Wildlife crime endangers iconic elephants, rhinos, tigers, gorillas and sea turtles. In 2011, a subspecies of Javan rhino went extinct in Vietnam, while the last western black rhinos vanished from Cameroon the same year. Great apes have disappeared from Gambia, Burkina Faso, Benin and Togo, and other countries could quickly follow.

Lesser-known victims include helmeted hornbills and pangolins as well as wild orchids and timbers like Rosewood – flowers and timber are also considered wildlife! Huge efforts to counter the illicit trade - including stronger policies, awareness campaigns and investments in community conservation and law enforcement - have scored some great successes.

However, many species remain at risk and it will take a dedicated and sustained effort by each and every one of us to turn the tide. How can we do it? More people need to understand the damage this illicit business is doing to our environment, livelihoods, communities and security. We must change our habits and behaviour so that demand for illegal wildlife products falls. More awareness and action pushes governments and international bodies to introduce and enforce tougher laws and combat those still willing to break them.

This year’s theme for WED – Go Wild for Life – encourages you to celebrate all those species under threat and take action of your own to help safeguard them for future generations. This can be about animals or plants that are threatened within your local area as well as at the national or global level - many local extinctions will eventually add up to a global extinction! Whoever you are, and wherever you live, show zero-tolerance for the illegal trade in wildlife in word and deed, and make a difference.

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