Every March 3, World Wildlife Day is commemorated, a date proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013 to raise awareness of the urgent need to protect wild fauna and flora. This event coincides with the signing in 1973 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a key treaty in the regulation of trade in endangered species.

Under this year’s theme, “Financing Wildlife Conservation: Investing in People and the Planet”, it seeks to make visible the importance of channeling resources towards the preservation of biodiversity and explore innovative approaches to ensure its sustainability. Wildlife conservation is facing increasing challenges, with more than one million species threatened with extinction and a growing environmental crisis driven by habitat loss, climate change, and illegal species trafficking.

THE CHALLENGE OF FINANCING BIODIVERSITY

Wildlife provides food, medicine, and natural resources that we depend on. However, the protection of ecosystems remains insufficient. According to CITES and UN data, $143 billion is currently spent annually on conservation, but estimates indicate that $824 billion would be needed to effectively reverse the decline in biodiversity.

More than 50% of the world’s GDP depends on nature, according to the UN, making the degradation of ecosystems a global economic challenge. In sectors such as fisheries, which contribute more than 10% of GDP in some countries, the overexploitation of marine resources has led to job losses and increased illegal activity.

To address this crisis, international organizations and governments are working on innovative financing strategies, such as Wildlife Conservation Bonds, Debt-for-Nature Swaps , and Payments for Ecosystem Services, which mobilize resources towards the preservation of biodiversity.

COMMITMENT TO CONSERVATION IN SPAIN

Along these lines, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) works to reverse the loss of biodiversity and promote a socio-economic model based on the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. To achieve these objectives, the Foundation has different national and European funds that take advantage of the added value provided by each of them.

Thus, through a specific call, it promotes 13 projects to strengthen the rescue centers for wild fauna and flora affected by illegal trade, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. With a total endowment of €4 million, these projects strengthen the reception and rehabilitation of specimens seized under the CITES convention.

World Wildlife Day is an opportunity to discuss and raise awareness of progress in biodiversity financing, as well as to explore new avenues of collaboration between governments, private entities and civil society. Ensuring wildlife conservation for future generations requires a global commitment and sustained investment in protecting our ecosystems.