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WORD WILDLIFE DAY

WORD WILDLIFE DAY

01/03/2023


Ana María Pujante Mora

Friday 3 March is World Wildlife Day, a day to celebrate the existence of wildlife on the planet and to raise awareness of its importance and the need to protect it.

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which aims to protect species of wild flora and fauna from excessive commercial exploitation that threatens their survival by regulating and controlling their cross-border trade. CITES provides various degrees of protection for more than 37,000 species of plants and animals.

Spanish mountain goat (Capra pyrenaica) in Losilla de Aras

The Bern Convention or Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats is the first international treaty that gives a general treatment to wildlife management, elaborating a series of protection measures for plants and animals that are not domesticated and have not been introduced by man, placing special emphasis on the protection of their habitats. The Convention distinguishes between species that are strictly protected and those that require special management measures.

In Spain, Law 42/2007, of 13 December, on natural heritage and biodiversity, creates in Article 53 the List of Wild Species under Special Protection Regime (LESRPE), and in Article 54, the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species (CEEA), with the categories “in danger of extinction” and “vulnerable”.

Current status of the List of Wild Species under Special Protection Regime and, where applicable, of the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species:

Source: www.miteco.gob.es/es/biodiversidad

In the Valencian Community, Decree 32/2004, of 27 February, establishes the Valencian Catalogue of Threatened Fauna Species and Decree 70/2009, of 22 May, the Valencian Catalogue of Threatened Flora Species. The Order of 2/2022, of 16 February, updates the Valencian lists of flora and fauna:

  • Annex I. Valencian Catalogue of Threatened Flora Species
    • Endangered species: 50
    • Vulnerable species: 44
  • Annex II. List of non-catalogued protected species of flora: 125
  • Annex III. List of monitored plant species: 192
  • Annex IV. Valencian Catalogue of Threatened Fauna Species
    • Endangered species: 29
    • Vulnerable species: 40
  • Annex V. List of protected fauna species: 26
Utricularia australis endangered aquatic plant

This year’s World Wildlife Day is entitled Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation – partnerships that can be implemented in a variety of ways:

  • International partnerships with global objectives
  • Initiatives of all kinds to raise funds for the benefit of species conservation
  • Community mobilisation
  • Publication of photographs on endangered species
European freshwater crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) is a vulnerable species

We are very fortunate to have many wild plants and animals in Aras and Losilla. It is very important that we are aware of those species that are most endangered, do everything possible to conserve the habitats where they live and avoid those threats that could contribute to their disappearance. Let us join in the alliance in favour of their conservation.