KSA marks World Wildlife Day

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia joined the rest of world in observing the United Nation’s World Wildlife Day on Thursday to foster awareness among citizens and residents to protect and conserve biodiversity.

World Wildlife Day is observed every year on March 3 to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild flora and fauna.
The Kingdom is participating in the worldwide celebration, represented by the Saudi Wildlife Authority (SWA), which is committed to the UN vision adopted in September last year, “the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda,” that seeks to provide security and prosperity for all creatures.
Prince Bandar bin Saud bin Mohammad, president of Saudi Wildlife Authority (SWA), commented on the participation of the Kingdom saying, “we aim to shed light on the efforts and achievements of the government under the visionary leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman toward the preservation of wildlife and natural habitats at national, regional and international levels.”
On this occasion, Prince Bandar also praised the sincere efforts made by the Ministries of Interior, Commerce and Industry, and Municipal and Rural Affairs as well as the Saudi Customs and Border Guards in the application of a system for fungal species and their products endangered to extinction in the Kingdom.
Earlier, he underlined that people’s existence never strengthened in absence of a natural balance between aspects controlling the lives of all creatures.
Although the Kingdom lies within a typical arid to semi-arid region, it is characterized by its unique biological diversity and species that could acclimatize to live under adverse ecological circumstances, including weather and dry conditions.
The SWA was established by a royal decree giving it a mandate to prepare and implement plans to sustain terrestrial and marine wildlife, and rehabilitate rare and threatened species and their habitats with the ultimate goal of regaining the natural environmental balance.
The Mahazath Sanctuary in Kingdom recently won the best wildlife sanctuary award given by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Being one of the outstanding sanctuaries fenced and protected for wildlife upkeep, the Mahazath protected area in central Saudi Arabia is also a confirmation that wildlife resettlement with protected programs has achieved steady successes in the Kingdom.
The United Nations General Assembly on Dec. 20, 2013, during its 68th session, proclaimed March 3rd, the day of the signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as UN World Wildlife Day as worldwide wildlife is facing many challenges.
The biggest threats to wildlife are habitat loss as well as overgrazing, farming and development.
Poaching and trafficking in wildlife, driven by transnational organized crime groups, pose the most immediate threat to many iconic species.