The Challenge is celebrating World Wildlife Day!
3 March 2017
Today is World Wildlife Day! World Wildlife Day originated in 2013, when the United Nations designated March 3, the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a special day to raise awareness about the world’s wild animals and plants.
Today is the fourth-ever celebration of World Wildlife Day, and this year focuses on encouraging and empowering young people to protect endangered animals with the theme “Listen to the Young Voices.” World Wildlife Day also reminds us of the importance of combating poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, which is threatening the survival of many animal species and undermining decades of conservation and development gains. Animals including elephants, tigers, rhinos, pangolins, turtles, sharks, and parrots are headed towards extinction, and criminal activity associated with the illegal trade is undermining national security and economic development in countries around the world. That’s why the Challenge and our Prize Winners are specifically focused on tackling four important issues in the fight against wildlife crime: strengthening forensic evidence, detecting transit routes, reducing consumer demand, and tackling corruption.
Today, more than ever, we are proud of our talented Prize Winners and Grand Prize Winners and their groundbreaking solutions. With innovations including forensic tools that help protect pangolins, birds, frogs, and rhinos; apps that combat the illegal capture and sale of saltwater fish and songbirds; online tools that empower whistleblowers, identify internet wildlife trade, and map global reports of wildlife crime; and detection and surveillance tools that flag poaching, wildlife trafficking, and illegal fishing, these 16 Prize Winners are making significant strides in the fight against wildlife crime.
Find out about each of our Prize Winners and their game-changing science and technology innovations in detail here. As always, our Prize Winners are looking for partners, organizations, individuals, and funding agencies that can help them scale their solutions. If you would like more information, get in touch at info@wildlifecrimetech.org.
