Every year on March 3, we celebrate the planet’s beautiful flora and fauna with World Wildlife Day! We take this important day to appreciate not only how amazing our world is but also our place in it. We acknowledge that the health of the world around us depends on our actions, just as our health can depend on the world. Every action has a reaction, and no matter how far removed you might feel from conservation, it does impact you – because we all live on this planet!
This year’s World Wildlife Day theme is Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and the Planet. One of the most accessible and simple ways to make a huge difference in an important cause is donating to conservation organizations! The website for World Wildlife Day has a fantastic article outlining how much of our planet’s GDP relies on natural resources and how much difference can be made with minor changes. This year’s theme highlights different challenges faced in funding conservation and how we can approach these problems to ensure continuous, sustainable funding.
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) is dedicated to conserving the species that call the sanctuary home, as well as every animal and plant on our beautiful planet. Conservation begins with education, so we offer multitudes of educational programs for people of all ages to learn more about wildlife, the earth, and how we can do our part to make it a better place.
Here are some of the issues animals can face all over the world:
- Habitat loss: As human populations grow and develop, roads and towns pop up in places that used to be wild homes. The lack of generational resources can result in dropping populations.
- Human-wildlife conflict: As humans settle in these areas, conflicts with native wildlife become inevitable. These conflicts can range from animals being struck by passing cars to farmers hunting predators to protect their livestock.
- Poaching: The black market is unfortunately brimming with parts of animals – not just hides, but teeth, bones, blood, and more. People buy these for many different reasons. Some people see them as having healing properties, while others weave these raw items into new products, like jewelry.
- Climate Change: While animals do their best to adapt to a growing human population, adapting to a changing climate is difficult. The rainy season may be shorter or longer; summers may be too hot or too cold, and so on. All of these changes negatively affect wildlife.
What Can We Do?
Saying all this without following up with something hopeful would make this happy day a little somber. Remember, there is something we can do to prevent all of this. We can begin making more conscious decisions in our everyday lives and educate friends, family, and peers on conservation initiatives.
With this year’s World Wildlife Day theme in mind, we have included this link, which will lead you to a great resource for United States conservation organizations. Some organizations with a global reach include, but are not limited to, The Nature Conservancy, The World Wildlife Fund, The Wildlife Conservation Society, Oceana, Conservation International, and so much more.
Remember to take a second to appreciate the world around you – not just today, but every day!