At the World Bank, we’re on a mission to end poverty on a livable planet. And we cannot accomplish this mission without nature. Nature is the wealth of poor communities. For instance: about half a billion people depend on fisheries for their livelihoods. Nature-based tourism is another job creator: just two national parks alone in Zambia provide over 35,000 jobs. Keeping our ecosystems healthy keeps us healthy – preventing pandemics and infectious disease and blunting the impact of climate change.
Biodiversity is threatened by many things, from overexploitation, to climate change. Over one million species are threatened with extinction. Wildlife crime is also a direct threat that is accelerating biodiversity collapse. Wildlife crime is undermining economic opportunities for countries and local communities. Illegal wildlife trade is a 20-billion-dollar industry that threatens endangered species, disrupts ecosystems, and fuels corruption and illicit financial flows.
This is why we are committed to investing in combatting wildlife crime, for nature, development, and climate. Through the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime, and together with our partners, we are strengthening governance and institutional capacity to prevent wildlife crime.
Through the Global Wildlife Program that we lead, we are working in partnership with 38 countries to combat wildlife trafficking and promote sustainable economies.
As a Knowledge Bank, we are committed to bring the best ideas to our clients and financing programs. As part of this, we share expertise across borders on best practices and scalable solutions to ensure that countries and communities can benefit from biodiversity.
On this World Wildlife Day, join us to work towards a livable planet where wildlife and people can prosper together.