The COVID-19 Challenge: Zoonotic Diseases and Wildlife

The Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management (CPW), of which IUFRO is a member, has elaborated four guiding principles to reduce risk from zoonotic diseases and build more collaborative approaches in human health and wildlife management. The statement was launched on 16 October 2020.

First principle:
Recognize the importance of the use of wildlife for many communities, including Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), in policy responses.

Second principle:
Maintain and restore healthy and resilient ecosystems to reduce risks of zoonotic spillovers and future pandemics.

Third principle:
Persecution including killing of wild animals suspected of transmitting diseases will not address the causes of the emergence or spread of zoonotic diseases.

Fourth principle:
Regulate, manage and monitor harvesting, trade and use of wildlife to ensure it is safe, sustainable and legal.

The Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management (CPW) is a voluntary partnership of 14 international organizations with substantive mandates and programs to promote the sustainable use and conservation of wildlife resources.


Read the statement here:
http://www.fao.org/3/cb1163en/cb1163en.pdf

Watch a video on the statement as well as an animation about sustainable wildlife management:
https://bit.ly/3oTHQRj
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kb724JEzrw