The statement was produced jointly by 14 members of the CPW, who have made four key suggestions:
1) The importance if the use of wildlife for many local and indigenous communities must be recognised.
2) We must maintain and restore healthy and resilient ecosystems.
3) Persecution and killing of animals suspected of spreading diseases will not address the root causes of zoonotic disease transmission.
4) Regulate, monitor and manage harvesting, trade and use of wildlife to ensure it is safe, sustainable and legal.
Whilst there have been calls for a blanket ban on harvesting, trade and use of wildlife, the CPW argues that, in context, this would fail to tackle the spread of disease or the underlying issues wildlife currently faces, such as destruction of habitat, biodiversity loss and ecosystem resilience. The recommendations for wildlife are an important tool for balancing the multiple issues in such a contentious debate.
You can read the full report here.
How is Covid-19 connected to nature? Find out here.
