World Wildlife Day – March 3 is celebrated to alert the public to the illegal trafficking of wild species and the need to conserve species of wild plants and animals to their natural habitats.
United Nations General Assembly has decided that, starting from 2014, 3 March is marked as the World Wildlife Day in order to commemorate the signing of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) exactly on that date in 1973.
The European Union strongly supports the CITES Convention and has, by adopting more regulations and directives, prescribed measures to prevent illegal trade and ensure sustainable international trade that does not threaten the survival of endangered wild species.
Learn more about the accession of the European Union to the CITES Convention, its implementation, and the approach of the EU to combat illegal trade in endangered wildlife by clicking here.