On 20 December the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3 March as UN World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of all wild plants and animals. The day coincided with the 1973 signing of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). In 2022, the theme is “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration” with a goal of drawing attention to the conservation status of some of the most critically endangered species of wild fauna and flora. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, over 8,400 species of wild plants and animals are critically endangered, nearly 30,000 more are endangered or vulnerable. Conservation scientists believe that today, over a million species are threatened with extinction.
