As we celebrate the magnificence of nature on World Environment Day on Sunday, we are asking everyone who is concerned about wildlife to take action to help deliver a sustainable future for animals and people.

It’s time for everyone who is concerned about wildlife to join together, focussing all energies on achievable solutions to stop the loss of wildlife and diversity on Earth.

Taronga is seeking to empower our friends, partners and supporters in the these endeavours and has led the development of a simple app, a tool of the times, that empowers everyone who downloads it to ‘Lend Your Eyes to the Wild’.

With the app on your phone you’ll safely become a frontline operative in efforts to stop the illegal wildlife trade with every report you make on the app going straight to TRAFFIC, the international agency that monitors this heinous trade.

 TRAFFIC’s S.E. Asia Director, Dr Chris Shepherd, produced an inspiring video while he was here in April. Here it is: https://vimeo.com/bluebottlefilms/review/166688917/56bf3d92e3.

 Please share it with your friends as an act of solidarity for wildlife.

 In a week which saw a the tragic events unfold at Cincinnati Zoo, ending with the death of gorilla, Harambe, I want to commend the sentiments of our fellow conservationist at Wildlife Asia, Director Clare Campbell.

 She acknowledged that these kind of tragedies happen every single day in the wild, but sometimes it takes a high profile incident with considerable media attention to make people act. She encouraged people to support the organisations of their choice and importantly, to spread the word.

 With so many species in rapid decline and she urged us all to act urgently, harnessing the anger about Harambe's death to achieve something good.

 Let’s all make World Environment  Day 2016 the beginning of something better.

 Cameron Kerr

Director

Taronga Zoos