Grethel Aguilar

On March third, we celebrate World Wildlife Day 2026 under the theme “Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihoods.”

Medicinal and aromatic plants are essential to human wellbeing, supporting global health, sustaining cultural traditions, and providing livelihoods for millions. Protecting them safeguards both people and nature. They also sustain ecosystems, enrich biodiversity, stabilize soils, and support pollinators and countless other species.

IUCN provides the scientific foundation to conserve these plants through the Red List of Threatened species and the work of our experts in the Species Survival Commission, particularly the Medicinal Plant Specialist Group. This work helps inform CITES, guiding Parties on sustainable harvests, trade regulations, and conservation priorities.

But this story is part of a much bigger one. Wildlife – from plants and fungi to animals and entire ecosystems – forms the foundation of life on Earth. It supports our economies, strengthens climate resilience, and sustains human well-being. Yet wildlife everywhere is under increasing pressure from habitat loss, overexploitation, climate change, and illegal trade. Protecting wildlife requires working across governments and the various sectors, especially with Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Together we must promote sustainable use, and ensure conservation delivers benefits for both nature and people.

On this World Wildlife Day, IUCN calls on governments, partners, and citizens to act together to conserve wildlife in all its forms – for health, heritage, livelihoods, and the future of our planet.