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World Wildlife Day 2026 Statement by IPBES Executive Secretary, Dr. Luthando Dziba
On World Wildlife Day we celebrate the extraordinary diversity of life on Earth and reaffirm the importance of collective stewardship of biodiversity and ecosystems for the wellbeing of people and nature.
This year’s theme, “Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihoods”, focuses attention on the vital contributions that plants make to human wellbeing, and the roles they play in culture as well as the global economy. But with a million species of plants and animals currently threatened by extinction, medicinal and aromatic plants — including plants which have not yet been described by science — are also in jeopardy.
As the 2022 IPBES Sustainable Use of Wild Species Report showed, people all over the world directly use more than 31,000 species of wild plants. Trade in wild plants, algae and fungi is a billion-dollar global industry, with 70% of the world’s poor directly dependent on wild species and on the businesses fostered by them. One in five people rely on wild species for their food and income — with wild plants a vital sources of essential calories, nutrients and medicine.
We also know however, that trade in wild plants, algae and fungi for food, medicine, hygiene, energy and ornamental use is increasing, leading to unsustainable exploitation, and sometimes illegal harvesting of these plants, which are so vital to our health, heritage and livelihoods around the world.
As the recently-released IPBES Business and Biodiversity Report found, all businesses both depend on and impact nature and have a responsibility to take action to address their dependencies as well as their impacts, and ultimately work towards transformative change.
Beyond businesses, everyone has a role to play in advancing an increasingly sustainable global economy. For example, Governments can also promote beneficial outcomes for biodiversity and Indigenous Peoples and local communities through access and benefit-sharing arrangements (for example under the Nagoya Protocol).
Patent-protected products based on biochemical substances from plants used for traditional medicine have historically generated significant revenue in the pharmaceutical and natural product industries, but have not typically resulted in revenues for Indigenous Peoples and local communities who are stewards of the knowledge associated with these genetic resources.
Greater inclusivity and equity, ensuring that Indigenous Peoples and local communities are involved in decision-making processes that respect free, prior and informed consent, and respectful engagement and mutual agreement with Indigenous Peoples and local communities allows businesses to interweave Indigenous and local knowledge into their operations, fostering mutual respect and supporting mutually positive outcomes.
On this World Wildlife Day, we can recommit to action that recognizes nature’s values in all their forms — as a source of medicine and culture, as pillars of healthy ecosystems, and as foundations of resilient communities. Let’s reaffirm our commitment to a future in which wildlife — including the medicinal and aromatic plants so central to health and heritage — flourishes alongside thriving human societies.
We can create and sustain a world where biodiversity and human wellbeing advance together.
Carla Brown
Tue, 03/03/2026
News
On World Wildlife Day we celebrate the extraordinary diversity of life on Earth and reaffirm the importance of collective stewardship of biodiversity and ecosystems for the wellbeing of people and nature.
This year’s theme, “Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihoods”, focuses attention on the vital contributions that plants make to human wellbeing, and the roles they play in culture as well as the global economy. But with a million species of plants and animals currently threatened by extinction, medicinal and aromatic plants — including plants which have not yet been described by science — are also in jeopardy.
As the 2022 IPBES Sustainable Use of Wild Species Report showed, people all over the world directly use more than 31,000 species of wild plants. Trade in wild plants, algae and fungi is a billion-dollar global industry, with 70% of the world’s poor directly dependent on wild species and on the businesses fostered by them. One in five people rely on wild species for their food and income — with wild plants a vital sources of essential calories, nutrients and medicine.
We also know however, that trade in wild plants, algae and fungi for food, medicine, hygiene, energy and ornamental use is increasing, leading to unsustainable exploitation, and sometimes illegal harvesting of these plants, which are so vital to our health, heritage and livelihoods around the world.
As the recently-released IPBES Business and Biodiversity Report found, all businesses both depend on and impact nature and have a responsibility to take action to address their dependencies as well as their impacts, and ultimately work towards transformative change.
Beyond businesses, everyone has a role to play in advancing an increasingly sustainable global economy. For example, Governments can also promote beneficial outcomes for biodiversity and Indigenous Peoples and local communities through access and benefit-sharing arrangements (for example under the Nagoya Protocol).
Patent-protected products based on biochemical substances from plants used for traditional medicine have historically generated significant revenue in the pharmaceutical and natural product industries, but have not typically resulted in revenues for Indigenous Peoples and local communities who are stewards of the knowledge associated with these genetic resources.
Greater inclusivity and equity, ensuring that Indigenous Peoples and local communities are involved in decision-making processes that respect free, prior and informed consent, and respectful engagement and mutual agreement with Indigenous Peoples and local communities allows businesses to interweave Indigenous and local knowledge into their operations, fostering mutual respect and supporting mutually positive outcomes.
On this World Wildlife Day, we can recommit to action that recognizes nature’s values in all their forms — as a source of medicine and culture, as pillars of healthy ecosystems, and as foundations of resilient communities. Let’s reaffirm our commitment to a future in which wildlife — including the medicinal and aromatic plants so central to health and heritage — flourishes alongside thriving human societies.
We can create and sustain a world where biodiversity and human wellbeing advance together.