The National Center for Wildlife is participating in the celebration of the World Wildlife Day today, Wednesday, Rajab 19th, 1442 AH, corresponding to the 3rd of March 2021 under the slogan "Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and the Planet". The celebration this year aims to encourage countries around the world to highlight the importance of conservation of wild species of flora and fauna, especially in forests and vegetation areas, where between 240 and 350 million people live in or near forest areas worldwide.
On this occasion, the CEO of the National Center for Wildlife Development, Dr. Muhammad Ali Qurban, explained that the center’s participation aims to shed the light on the efforts and achievements of the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Shrines and his trustworthy Crown Prince – may Allah protect them both - in the field of conserving wildlife and their natural habitats at the national and regional and international levels, as it confirms the great development that is achieved by the grace of God and then through the Kingdom's vision 2030, and the issuance of the national environmental strategy, the general environment law and its executive regulations, which, God willing, will make great leaps in conserving our natural environments and their ecosystems and their sound utilization for the benefit of present and future generations.
His Excellency explained that preserving forests as well as trees is necessary to achieve sustainable development, as trees and forests play their important role in absorbing greenhouse gases and preserving the soil from erosion and from being washed away, not to mention that it contains a lot of the genetic origins of many plant species and is a natural home for many endemic species of wildlife such as birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and micro-organisms, in addition to their importance as important areas for picnicking and recreation. His Excellency affirmed that cooperation and coordination between all concerned parties and integration will reinforce these efforts and push the conservation and development wheels forward.
It should be noted that the United Nations General Assembly approved at its 68th meeting on 20th of December 2013, considering the third of March of each year as the date for the celebration of World Wildlife Day, the same day on which the agreement was adopted to regulate the trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and their products, known as CITES, in 1973.
