Each year, on 3 March, we celebrate World Wildlife Day. Established in 2013 by the UN General Assembly to raise awareness of the issues affecting the world’s wild animals and plants, it is now the most important global annual event dedicated to wildlife. Through events such as World Wildlife Day, we are starting to understand and appreciate, not only the impacts that human activity is having on the natural world, but how our own wellbeing and survival is inextricably linked to the health of the planet.
Annual Themes
The theme for World Wildlife Day 2026 is Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihoods. WWD2026 shines a spotlight on the critical role of medicinal and aromatic plants, which are crucial for both human and ecological balance.
Around the world, people collect and use medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs), such as American ginseng, spikenard, and agarwood for treating and preventing illnesses. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes their significance, particularly in developing countries, where 70-95% of the population relies on traditional medicine for primary healthcare. These plants form the foundation of many healthcare systems and remain vital to modern pharmaceuticals, as numerous active drug compounds are derived directly or indirectly from natural sources.
Additionally, MAPs play a crucial role in supporting ecosystems by stabilizing soils, promoting biodiversity and providing essential resources for pollinators, such as bees and hummingbirds. However, many of these valuable species face growing threats from habitat destruction, overharvesting and illegal trade, making their conservation a global priority.
World Wildlife Day 2026 will serve as a platform to highlight the vital role of medicinal and aromatic plants in sustaining human health, cultural heritage, and local livelihoods. It will showcase the diversity of these species, their contributions to traditional knowledge and primary healthcare, and the growing pressures they face from habitat loss, overharvesting, and climate change.
Previous Years
2025 – Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet. Exploring how we can work together to finance wildlife conservation more effectively and sustainably and build a resilient future for both people and the planet.
2024 – Connecting People and Planet: Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation. Exploring how digital technologies and services can drive wildlife conservation, sustainable and legal wildlife trade and human-wildlife coexistence, now and for future generations in an increasingly-connected world.
2023 – Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation. Celebrating all conservation efforts, from intergovernmental to local scale, and the partnerships that make a significant contribution to sustainability, wildlife and biodiversity conservation. 2023 also marked the 50th anniversary of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).
2022 – Recovering Key Species for Ecosystem Restoration. This aims to draw attention to the conservation status of some of the most critically endangered species of plants and animals and, particularly, the dependence of entire ecosystems upon them.
2021 – Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet – This is to highlight the essential role of forests and their delicate ecosystems in sustaining the lives of millions of people globally. More than 200 million people live within or close to forests around the world, relying on them for their most basic needs including food and shelter. Without protection and management, the destruction of forest habitats will be a disaster for their human populations as well as their wildlife.
2020 – Sustaining All Life On Earth
2019 – Life Below Water
2018 – Big Cats: Predators Under Threat
How To Get Involved
Join people around the world in observing World Wildlife Day, and spread the word on social media using #WorldWildlifeDay. By simply showing an interest, you can help raise awareness. For more ideas about how to bring World Wildlife Day into your home, workplace, or class room, visit the official page website at https://www.wildlifeday.org/en (opens in new tab).
