Wildlife and Forest Protection

HORNA/Vienna-March2022

On the occation of Worldlife day,have the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance and Zoo Schoenbrunn,in cooperation with the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime(UNODC),held a press conference at the Natural History Museum Vienna,to raise awareness of the serious consequences that wildlife and forest crime and crimes in the fisheries sector have on the worlds biodiversity and climate,as well as livelihoods.

Each year,while countries species are driven closer to extinction,criminals make billions from the sale of protected wildlife products.Not only do these crimes have a significant impact on biodiversity,they also undermine national and regional political and economic security,weaken the role of law,threaten global health,and  hinder efforts to responsibly and sustainably manage natural resources in the service of development for all.Wildlife  crime is a business that is  widespread. Nearly 6000 different species of fauna and flora have been seized between 1999 and 2018 globaly,with nearly every country in the world playing a role in the illicit wildlife trade.

The 2022 World Wildlife Day ,om 3 March,is marked with the theme of “Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration”.It reminds us  of the need to reset our relationship with nature and to address the greatest threats to our biodiversity.