Focused on Mission LiFE World Wildlife Day Celebrated in OBS

On 3 March 2024, the WWF EIACP PC-RP, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, celebrated World Wildlife Day at Okhla Bird Sanctuary (OBS). 

The sanctuary is known for its rich biodiversity and it is one of the places where Mission LiFE is focused. The celebration was aimed at recognizing the unique roles and contributions of wildlife to people and the planet.

World Wildlife Day

• This year's theme was Connecting People and Planet: Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation. 
• The day serves as a significant platform for fostering intergenerational exchange and promoting youth empowerment through art, conversation, and presentations. It also provides opportunities for advancing the cause of sustainable development and digital wildlife conservation.
• The focus was on exploring the digital innovations available now, the intersectional discrepancies faced, and how digital connectivity could evolve for all people and the planet.
• Innovative technology has greatly improved various aspects of wildlife conservation such as research, communication, tracking, and DNA analysis. We are currently experiencing a digital revolution on a global scale that is dismantling barriers to digital governance and providing equal opportunities for all to harness the benefits of digital transformation. 
• The "digital divide" is gradually closing as better connectivity and Internet access have reached 66% of the world's population.

Mission LiFE

Mission LiFE is an India-led global mass movement aimed at encouraging individual and community action to protect and preserve the environment. 

This movement recognizes that Indian culture and living traditions are inherently sustainable and emphasizes the importance of conserving natural resources and living in harmony with nature as mentioned in our ancient scriptures. 

The goal is to spread this message to as many people as possible and channel the efforts of individuals and communities into a global mass movement of positive behavioral change.

Okhla Bird Sanctuary 

Okhla Bird Sanctuary is located at the entrance of NOIDA in Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh and covers an area of around 4 square kilometers. It is one of the 15 bird sanctuaries in the state and one of the 466 IBAs (Important Bird Areas) in India. 

The sanctuary is known for its various bird species that inhabit the thorny scrub, grassland, and wetland due to its unique positioning. 

The wetland was formed due to the creation of Okhla Barrage, and it was designated as a sanctuary by the Uttar Pradesh Government in 1990