On 3 March 2021, the WSIS stakeholders will celebrate the UN World Wildlife Day on the 48th anniversary of the signing of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, commonly known as CITES.
This global event will raise awareness of the world’s fauna and flora, the threats they are facing and the urgent need to take action to protect wildlife. As a result of unsustainable human activities, habitat loss, over exploitation and climate change a significant number of species are at risk of going extinct. This being the case, information and communication technologies (ICTs) are being used to protect animals and habitats in new and innovative ways, from tracking poachers, to monitoring populations, to raising public awareness – and more. We believe that in this regard, ICTs can certainly aid in reducing wildlife crime and better protect and foster biodiversity conservation as a whole.
The aim of this event is to explore the positive impact of digital technologies for wildlife protection, from the role of satellite images and computer algorithms for monitoring endangered wildlife, the Internet of Things and the Cloud to make poaching predictable and using apps to combat illegal wildlife trade.