New report shows wildlife trade, deforestation led to emergence of new zoonotic diseases

In a new study published, scientists have found that large-scale conversion of tracts of land for agriculture, tre, and consumption of high-risk wild species are two main drivers of emergence of zoonotic diseases, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) report released on June 17 said. Scientists found causes of spre of Zoonotic diseases and  role that wildlife played in such diseases affecting people, domestic animal health, welfare, economics, and tre.  

According to a report titled ‘COVID 19: urgent call to protect people and nature’, WWF emphasized that major environmental factors due to which zoonotic diseases emerge and thrive are tre and consumption of high-risk wildlife, land-use change leing to deforestation and conversion, expansion of agriculture and unsustainable intensification and animal production. Furr, WWF called for urgent global co-operation to dress se key drivers it has identified to eliminate possibility of near future pandemics that pose ‘an acute threat to human life’.

In study, researchers observed that numerous warnings from scientists and thought leers, such as World Economic Forum (WEF), were me about risk of a global pandemic even before it hit world. report identified that  early SARS patients in Guangdong province were involved in wildlife for consumption. Also, land-use change between 1945 and 2005 contributed to most zoonotic disease events, WWF said, citing West and Central Africa where extensive deforestation caused Ebola. WWF warned India to take measures noting that re was a looming threat. “In a country like India, where people live cheek-by-jowl, not just with each or, but also with among highest numbers of livestock, close proximity means that diversity of pathogens that humans are potentially exposed to is very high,” Abi Tamim Vanak, fellow, Wellcome Trust and senior fellow at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment was quoted saying.  

Director-General of WWF International, Marco Lambertini, said in study, We must urgently recognize links between destruction of nature and human health, or we will soon see next pandemic. We must curb  high risk tre and consumption of wildlife, halt deforestation and land conversion as well as manage food production sustainably.

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‘One Health’ approach

vocating a ‘One Health’ approach linking health of people, WWF said that  COVID-19 crisis demonstrates that systemic changes must be introduced by humans to environmental drivers of pandemics. ditionally,  WWF highlighted upcoming UN Biodiversity Summit, scheduled to take place in September 2020, saying, it would be an integral meeting for world leers to take action and form policies on nature. It recommended leers to take critical decisions on environment, climate, and development, now due to be taken in 2021 in order to rescue world from  pandemic's outbreaks.  

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