World Wildlife Day 2025: the critical role of conservation finance

World Wildlife Day 2025: The Critical Role of Conservation Finance

Image by Thérèse Myslinksi

This World Wildlife Day, celebrated globally on 3rd March 2025, shines a spotlight on an urgent challenge: how to finance wildlife conservation. Under the theme ‘Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet’, the day highlights the crucial connection between biodiversity and economic stability. Here, our Munster Co-Ordinator,  Thérèse Myslinksi, outlines the importance of wildlife conservation and simple actions you can take to protect our wildlife.

Wildlife: Natural Firefighters and Climate Champions

Protection Against Climate Change

Wildlife conservation can significantly reduce destructive wildfires. Grazing animals like white rhinos in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa, minimise grass that fuels fires. Large grass-eaters like elephants, zebras, rhinos, and camels emit less methane than livestock due to their unique digestion. Additionally, wildlife aids carbon storage in forests. Tropical trees rely on animals like elephants and toucans for seed dispersal, leading to taller, more effective carbon-trapping trees.

Losing our planet’s most diverse ecosystems would have serious social and economic impacts. Around 330 million people rely on reefs for storm protection, food, jobs, and other benefits.

Feeding the World

Wild animals provide essential proteins and minerals for billions. Wildlife ranching offers health benefits as game meat is high in unsaturated fatty acids. Consuming wild meat reduces food miles and the carbon footprint of food production.

Each year, 90 million tons of seafood are harvested from wild-capture fisheries. This provides vital nutrition to over 3 billion people, supplying at least 20% of their animal protein. Over 500 million people highly depend on marine ecosystems, and 160 million rely on freshwater fisheries for their diets.

Millions, especially Indigenous Peoples and local communities in tropical and subtropical regions, rely on wild meat for food and income. However, unsustainable hunting practices are threatening wildlife populations, with around 300 mammal species at risk of extinction. This decline affects ecosystems and food security for many impoverished rural communities.

A new report, “Eating Wild Animals: Rewards, Risks and Recommendations,” by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) explores the pros and cons of wild meat hunting, consumption, and trade in Africa and Southeast Asia. Approximately 400 million people in sub-Saharan Africa and East/Southeast Asia rely on wild meat for nutrition and livelihoods. In at least 62 countries, wildlife and wild fish provide 20% or more of the animal protein in rural diets. In some African countries, wild meat makes up 90% of protein consumption. In China, 1,711 tonnes of protein come from wild meat annually. In Southeast Asia, 30% of urban and 70% of rural households consume wild meat for medicinal purposes.

Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

Natural chemicals have enriched human civilization since ancient times and remain valuable for medical research. Animals also offer novel compounds like ‘frog glue’, a flexible adhesive from the glands of Australian ‘holy cross’ frog species that can be used to treat knee injuries.

More than half of modern medicines come from natural sources, such as antibiotics from fungi and painkillers from plant compounds.

Scientists discovered that Anthony’s poison dart frog from the Amazon has a skin chemical 200 times stronger than morphine, which they’re studying for new painkillers. Similarly, the Brazilian pit viper’s venom contains a chemical that lowers blood pressure and reduces heart attack risks. This led to the development of captopril, taken by over 40 million people worldwide.

Cultural Significance

The Amazon is home to over 47 million people, including 2.2 million Indigenous and traditional inhabitants. Their cultures are closely connected with nature, and they rely on the sustainable use of its resources.

Wildlife’s non-material benefits, such as spiritual enrichment and leisure, are crucial yet often undervalued. Research shows that people are attracted to tranquil, aesthetically appealing, historic landscapes with wildlife. These habitats provide therapeutic spaces for wildlife interaction, including photography and films. Wildlife also holds spiritual significance, with sacred places like the snake temple in Penang, Malaysia, and the monkey temple in Jaipur, India, integral to religious practices and rituals.

One billion people rely on coral reefs, which generate tens of billions of dollars annually. They support tourism, commercial fisheries, and coastal development industries.

Soil Health and Fertility

Wild animals enhance soil health by replenishing nutrients through their dung and urine. Wildlife can also move nutrients around; for instance, hippos’ night-time grazing in grasslands brings nutrients back to rivers via their dung, boosting fish productivity.

The Scale of the Challenge

Unfortunately, over one million species face extinction, threatening not just wildlife but our global economy. Consider this: more than half of the world’s GDP depends on nature. Take fisheries as an example – they contribute over 10% of GDP in some countries, yet over one-third of marine fish stocks are now overfished, leading to unemployment and illegal harvesting.

The Investment Gap

Currently, we face a significant shortfall in conservation funding. While we need $824 billion annually to meet biodiversity goals, only $143 billion is being invested [INSERT LINK]. More than half of the world’s GDP relies on nature, so biodiversity loss threatens financial stability. For example, fisheries contribute over 10% of GDP in some countries, but over one-third of marine fish stocks are overfished causing unemployment and illegal harvesting. This gap is particularly pronounced in countries rich in unique wildlife and plant species.

Moving Towards Solutions

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework offers hope, aiming to:

  • Raise $200 billion annually by 2030
  • Reform harmful subsidies
  • Develop innovative financing solutions

New financial mechanisms are emerging, including:

  • Debt-for-Nature swaps
  • Wildlife Conservation Bonds

Global Response

The United Nations suggests a $500 billion stimulus package for development and nature. This World Wildlife Day, CITES has partnered with several organisations including UNDP, WILDLABS, Jackson Wild, and IFAW to explore new financial solutions for wildlife conservation.

A high-level UN celebration will take place on Monday, 3rd March 2025, at the UN Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. The event will be livestreamed on the World Wildlife Day YouTube channel, offering a platform to discuss:

  • Financial innovations in conservation
  • Challenges faced by different stakeholders
  • Collaborative funding approaches for biodiversity

How You Can Help

This World Wildlife Day serves as a reminder that investing in wildlife conservation means investing in our own future. The financial challenges are significant, but through innovative solutions and global cooperation, we can work towards protecting our planet’s precious biodiversity.

Want to make a difference? Here are some practical steps:

  • Create wildlife havens in your garden by building bee hotels or bug hotels
  • Reduce plastic use and conserve water
  • Organise a local litter pick
  • Start growing your own vegetables
  • Try composting
  • Plant trees and wildlife-friendly flowers
  • Learn how to attract bumblebees, butterflies to your garden

Sources

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