The Global Biodiversity Framework must prevent the risk of disease spillover from wildlife to humans
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| Image source: PREDICT/Mike Cranfield |
By Paul Todd, Natural Resources Defense Council; Adeline Lerambert, Born Free Foundation; and Roz Reeve, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and Fondation Franz Weber
The daily requirement to wear our masks and submit negative tests reminds us that the COVID-19 pandemic persists unabated. At the same time, a frightening string of pox virus outbreaks has been spreading around the world. Both pathogens are likely of zoonotic origin. While one is new and the other has been spreading for several years, both viruses should give policy makers here a reason to act urgently in what IPBES has called “the era of pandemics.”
Our ability to control viruses once they spill over to people is greatly limited. And the monkeypox outbreak is highlighting how even viruses we’ve known about for decades can surprise people.
Preventing spillover of pathogens requires urgent global collaboration to keep people safe and ensure we do not suffer the devastating consequences of another pandemic like COVID-19.
We have the opportunity to eliminate any trade, use or exploitation of wildlife that poses risk of pathogen spillover to humans, wildlife or other animals. But it will require Parties to maintain this language in the bracketed draft of Target 5 and resist efforts to water it down with ill-defined terms like “safe.”
Humanity’s unfettered exploitation of wildlife and nature along with increased human encroachment to untouched ecosystems compromises our health and particularly the health of our most vulnerable people. We must adopt strong preventive measures before the next pandemic arrives.
The sooner we recognize that unsustainable exploitation of wild animals and plants is making us sick and risking our planetary life-support systems, the better off both people and wildlife will be. All eyes are on this meeting. Could we agree to eliminate activities that pose a risk of pathogen spillover before the next pandemic strikes?
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