The COVID-19 challenge: Zoonotic diseases and wildlife

FAO

The COVID-19 challenge: Zoonotic diseases and wildlife

Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management's four guiding principles to reduce risk from zoonotic diseases and build more collaborative approaches in human health and wildlife management

Year of publication 2020

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 6p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet

ISBN 978-92-5-133353-2

Edition 1

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) The far-reaching impacts of COVID-19 on the entire planet have mobilized numerous calls to prevent similar pandemics in the future. Appeals have ranged from advocacy for the permanent closure of markets where wild animals may be sold, to banning all commercial use of wildlife, to significantly stepping up sanitary measures and monitoring along all food value chains. In this document, the Members of the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management (CPW) propose four guiding principles to assist practitioners and decision-makers in making practical and scientifically informed responses. These principles aim to reduce the risk of future pandemics originating from wild animals, at the same time as strengthening the conservation of wildlife whilst respecting livelihoods, food security and culture of diverse groups of people. The CPW promotes an integrated understanding of the complex interconnections and mutual dependencies between wildlife and people and works to increase cooperation and coordination on sustainable wildlife management issues among its members and partners. The FAO Forestry Division has served as the secretariat for the CPW since 2013 and is actively engaged in a wide range of the CPW’s initiatives as a proactive member of the Partnership.

See the full list of policy briefs related to COVID-19.

Cite this content as:

FAO. 2020. The COVID-19 challenge: Zoonotic diseases and wildlife. Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management's four guiding principles to reduce risk from zoonotic diseases and build more collaborative approaches in human health and wildlife management. Rome.

https://doi.org/10.4060/cb1163en

Language English

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Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme Policy Brief - Build back better in a post COVID-19 world
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We need to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic, to better understand the root causes of zoonotic diseases, in order to prevent future outbreaks and support a green recovery. Approximately 70 percent of emerging infectious diseases today, and almost all recent pandemics, originate from animals and particularly wildlife (e.g. Ebola virus, Lassa virus, and human immunodeficiency virus). Emerging evidence indicates that such outbreaks of animal-borne diseases are on the rise, mostly due to environmental degradation and the intensification of livestock production and trade in livestock and wildlife. Human-wildlife-livestock interactions are increasing as human populations expand, and urbanization and economic activities (such as wildlife trade, husbandry, agriculture, fishing, infrastructure development, mining and logging) encroach into wildlife habitats. This greater proximity enhances the probability of disease spillover from wildlife to humans, or wildlife to livestock to humans. This policy brief provides decision-makers with a set of actionable recommendations that can be implemented to prevent future epidemics caused by the spillover of diseases from wildlife and wild meat. The recommendations are based on an associated White Paper, which assessed: a) why spillover of disease from wildlife to humans occurs, and why these zoonotic disease outbreaks can spread and become epidemics and pandemics such as COVID-19; b) what they can do to prevent, detect and respond to future spillover events, with a special focus on priority interventions at the human–wildlife–livestock interfaces. It has been produced as part of the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme, which is an Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) initiative funded by the European Union. *** The SWM Programme is being implemented by a dynamic consortium of four partners with expertise in wildlife conservation and food security: • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) • Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) • French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) • Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) For more information, please visit the SWM Programme website: www.swm-programme.info
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This white paper aims to provide Northern and Southern Development partners and decision-makers with a better understanding of a) why spillover of disease from wildlife to humans occurs, and why these zoonotic disease outbreaks can spread and become epidemics and pandemics such as COVID-19, and b) what they can do to prevent, detect and respond to future spillover events, with a special focus on priority interventions at the human-wildlife-livestock interfaces. It has been produced as part of the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme, which will deliver critical lessons on how to prevent, detect and respond to future spillover events with appropriate national and transboundary policies and practices in the context of the SWM partner sites. The SWM Programme is a major international initiative to improve the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife in the forest, savannah, and wetland ecosystems. Field projects are being implemented in 13 African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries. The aim is to: improve how wildlife hunting is regulated; increase the supply of sustainably produced meat products and farmed fish; strengthen the management capacities of indigenous and rural communities; and reduce demand for wild meat, particularly in towns and cities. It is being implemented by a dynamic consortium of four partners with expertise in wildlife conservation and food security: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). For more information, please visit the SWM Programme website: www.swm-programme.info.
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Reducing pandemics risks at source: Wildlife, environment and One Health foundations in East and South Asia 2022

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Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are infections associated with new or significantly-expanded geographic scope or spread of zoonotic, vector-borne, and drug-resistant pathogens. The majority of EIDs have animal origins, and of those, the most recent EIDs are tied to wildlife. They are also increasing in frequency, with recurring outbreaks causing epidemics and pandemics exacting tremendous health and economic costs on individuals, nations, and the global economy. Strategies to reduce EID risks and better prevent future events from happening, need to comprehensively include wildlife - and the multiple interactions between wildlife, domestic animals, and humans - in a holistic way. ‘One Health’ addresses this, with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes while recognizing the interconnections between people, animals, plants, and their shared environments. In this report, we explore the root causes of pathogen spillover and disease emergence from wildlife to humans in East and South Asia, we review existing strengths and gaps of One Health systems, and provide recommendations to improve their performance by better including wildlife considerations. We describe human practices that increase exposure to pathogens, and specific, tangible actions to reduce risks along the chain, prioritizing the wildlife trade, food systems, and the environment. The report argues that investing in prevention of wildlife-originated human EIDs at source is extremely cost-effective, and is thus to be viewed as a public good, with benefits within and across national boundaries. The cost of inaction, by contrast, is very high.