Join the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme for the session ‘Tackling the risks of wildlife-borne disease pandemics – policy and investment priorities‘ at the GLF Biodiversity Digital Conference: One World – One Health, 28-29 October 2020.
Amid the massive fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the human fear of zoonotic diseases is on the rise, fueling an international movement to ban harvesting, trade and consumption of wild meat. Yet, this reaction, stemming in part from the belief that COVID-19 first jumped to humans from animals in a wildlife wet market, has the potential to jeopardize food security and the livelihoods of millions of Indigenous peoples and local communities.
Blanket bans on the use and consumption of wildlife may sate the appetites of those looking for a quick fix to the threat of viral pathogens but can also create significant problems. To protect biodiversity and the well-being of Indigenous people and those who depend on wild meat as a significant source of protein, a more targeted and science-based approach will yield better results.
Read the joint partner statement here.
