Today is World Wildlife Day, the annual United Nations celebration of the incredible diversity of our planet's wild animals and plants. The theme of this year's WWD is 'Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet.' Through a series of virtual events, and a panel at UN headquarters, UN representatives and partner wildlife groups will examine the links between the state of our planet's forests and woodlands and efforts to preserve the millions of livelihoods that directly depend on them. A particular emphasis will be placed on the role of Indigenous peoples who still live and work in forested areas, how they've successfully managed their forest ecosystems for centuries, and what that can teach us about sustainability.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, African lions have disappeared from over 90% of their historical range and their population has dropped 40% in just the last three generations.
