Preventing Pandemics through One Health Approach

AIPA-FREELAND Webinar: Preventing Pandemics through One Health Approach

SESSION III: HOW TO PREVENT PANDEMICS

‘Reducing Threats from Wildlife Trade’

Full recording of the event here

7 July 2021

Thank you Steve, and a thank you to the AIPA and Freeland for hosting today’s important event, and good morning and afternoon to Madam Secretary General and all distinguished participants.

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If we look back to this time last year, I’m sure we all thought we’d be coming out of this COVID-19 pandemic by now. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and we see Governments continuing their tireless efforts to stop it from spreading and to vaccinate us against it, as well as endeavouring to better understand its origins.

At some stage, we will get through it, but when we do, it won’t be over. In fact, far from it.

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You are probably familiar with the recent World Health Organisation?Report , which says that the most likely explanation for COVID-19 is that the virus jumped from an animal, such as a bat, to humans, possibly via another animal.[i]

While it’s still too early to draw any final conclusions about the origins of COVID-19, we are all increasingly aware of the links between wild animals and previous pandemics, as well as the conditions that make the spillover of viruses from animals to humans more likely, as Dr. Abila has just explained very well, and is graphically illustrated in your excellent video.

Health and wildlife experts warn us of the public health risks associated with people mixing with wild animals, including through habitat destruction, illegal or poorly regulated wildlife trade, and through the sale of wildlife at markets that bring together wild, captively bred and domesticated animals.[ii]

In saying so, we must also be mindful of the fact that when left alone wild animals pose no risk to human health: the risk comes from how we, as people, interact with wildlife. And that is something that we can manage.

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It’s not just the health risks we need to be concerned about. In addition to these risks, the UN IPBES predicts that due to our actions over one million species will go extinct over the coming decades, as a result of overexploitation, including for illegal trade, and the loss of wildlife habitat, amongst other threats. Unless we change course.

Climate change is at the top of the international agenda. One response to help mitigate climate change is nature-based climate solutions. They can offer about one-third of the (cost-effective) carbon dioxide mitigation needed to 2030. Yet habitat loss, and the overexploitation of wildlife, including for illegal trade, degrades ecosystems and their ability to sequester carbon.

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This pandemic has reminded us, albeit in a devastating way, of the interconnected nature of things, most particularly between economies, the environment, human and wildlife health and welfare.

We need to recalibrate our relationship with nature for many compelling, inter-related reasons, including to protect biodiversity, combat climate change, and to prevent future pandemics.

This will require profound changes in how we regulate the taking, trade, and consumption of wildlife, how we combat wildlife crime, and how we manage and finance the protection of wildlife at its source. EndPandemics has produced a comprehensive roadmap that identifies a wide array of risks, and recommended actions to avoid spillovers and prevent future pandemics.

Today, I’m going to briefly touch upon two issues, namely wildlife trade and wildlife crime. I am fortunate to Chair the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime through which a diverse array of people and organisations have joined forces to promote certain changes to our international laws.?

Our Initiative considers that the current international regime for regulating wildlife trade and combating wildlife crime is inadequate in setting the framework for regulating the trade, markets, and consumption that pose a risk to public health, as well as for ending wildlife crime.

We are promoting changes to the existing international legal framework that will enshrine into law agreements between States on how they will work together to help prevent future pandemics and end wildlife crime, and in a manner that delivers multiple local and global benefits.

Let me share with you our concerns about existing international wildlife trade and wildlife crime laws in a little more detail, and briefly outline our suggested reforms.

Our starting point is that these are challenging, global, interconnected, issues. Viruses can spillover in any country, and wildlife crime is a scourge affecting every continent. While countries can always act alone, effectively tackling these risks will require a collective response. As such, it’s preferable to agree upon, and to follow, a common set of rules to address the risk of pandemics emerging from wildlife trade and wildlife crime, from anywhere, both now and into the future.

Firstly, on wildlife trade (regulated and unregulated). The global agreement that exists to regulate international trade in wildlife, known by its acronym CITES, takes decisions based solely upon biological and trade criteria. It looks to see if any trade will affect the survival of the species of animal or plant that is being traded.?It does not pay any attention to the risks that such trade could pose to human or animal health, nor does it address wildlife markets.

This needs to change. Regulating wildlife trade needs to be based on a ‘One Health’ approach, where biological, human health, and animal health criteria are all taken into consideration.

We are already seeing some States start to impose further restrictions on trade and markets, for example in China, Gabon, Italy and Vietnam, which is positive. And the WTO, OIE and UNEP have called on national authorities to suspend the trade in some live caught wild animals for various purposes and to close sections of food markets, as an emergency measure.

But, to be successful, we need to encourage a collective effort, and to recognise that human memories are short, as is clear from the responses to previous pandemics. To succeed we must hardwire a ‘One Health’ approach into the agreed international legal framework, which will, in turn be reflected in national laws. I’ll briefly touch upon two options to achieve this objective.

States could adopt amendments to CITES that build human and animal health criteria into its decision-making processes, and to extend its reach to wildlife markets[iii] . However, CITES Parties have traditionally been wary of extending its mandate, and they may elect not to take up this opportunity.

There is another viable option , which comes from an initiative of the global health community, and that is to ensure the scope of a proposed International Pandemics Treaty includes legally binding commitments on taking measures to prevent the spill over of viruses and other pathogens from wild animals to people, including through wildlife trade and markets. This would institutionalise a ‘One Health’ approach, now and into the future. And we have released a short briefing paper on this option, which we have shared with the WHO, as it assesses the possible benefits of such a treaty.

Secondly, moving on to wildlife crime. In addition to posing a threat to human and animal health, wildlife crimes are driving many species towards extinction, degrading entire ecosystems and their ability to sequester carbon, depriving governments of up to $12 billion in revenue annually, exacerbating corruption, insecurity, and poverty. If we look to all species being illicitly trafficked, not just the limited number of species regulated under CITES, and include the impacts of these crimes on ecosystems, then The World Bank estimates their value at a staggering $1-2 trillion a year.

Further, as more restrictions are imposed on certain wildlife trade and markets, it will require an enhanced, collaborate, enforcement effort, to ensure such activities do not just move underground.

Notwithstanding the destructive and high-risk nature of these crimes to both people and wildlife, there is no global agreement on tackling wildlife crime, as there is for example on human trafficking. In the absence of any alternative, we have, to date, relied heavily on CITES, which is 50 year old trade-related Convention. It is not a natural forum for police or other enforcement officials.

Enhanced global connectivity, the ability of organised crime to operate across international borders, and the trafficking of wildlife at an industrial scale, requires enhanced global cooperation and national responses to tackling wildlife crime. It’s time to embed combating and preventing these crimes into the international criminal law framework.

We have released a working draft on the possible form and content of a new global agreement on wildlife crime to help advance the discussion. The draft has many suggested elements, including setting out the conduct to be criminalised, committing States to make it a criminal offence to import any wildlife that is acquired in contravention of the laws of the source country, representing an expression of comity between nations, or a mutual respect for one another’s laws, and on the exchange of critically important information, including forensics.

It would apply to any species of wild fauna or flora, including fish and timber, that is protected under any international or, importantly, any national law. So it would extend well beyond CITES listed species, and include the millions of species that are not listed by CITES but may be illegally harvested and traded internationally, as is frequently the case in timber and fish trafficking.[iv]

And I am delighted to inform you that in May of this year, the President of Gabon, H.E. Ali Bongo Ondimba and the President of Costa Rica, H.E. Carlos Alvarado Quesada, Presidents of two biodiverse rich countries, jointly called for a new global agreement on wildlife crime, taking the form of a Fourth Protocol under the UN Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime, and they are reaching out to other States to join them in this endeavour.

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Distinguished participants, the world is still feeling the full brunt of a pandemic, which most likely had its origins in a wild animal, we are advised that there are hundreds of thousands of new viruses that could spill over from wildlife to humans, we are struggling to combat climate change, and staring down the loss of a million species.

Given the scale of the risks to people and the planet, we must ratchet up both our national and global responses to these threats, and, if we get it right, the local communities living amongst wildlife, legitimate investors, and the Governments of source countries, as well as our global biodiversity, climate, health, and security, will all be beneficiaries.

I’d like to finish my presentation today by sharing a short video with you that captures the reasons why the Presidents of Costa Rica and Gabon have called for a global agreement on wildlife crime.

Thank you for the invitation to join you today and I hope you enjoy the video.

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Previous presentations:

Testimony and webinars

‘Wildlife Trade, Origins of COVID-19, and Preventing Future Pandemics’ , Oral and written testimony to the U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus Virtual Caucus Hearing, April 2020 (full set of proceedings and video available?here )

‘End Pandemics: Global Webinar’ , Remarks at End Pandemics webinar, April, 2020 (video available?here )

‘A fresh look at Global wildlife trade law: can CITES help prevent pandemics?’, Is CITES enough or do we need more? Remarks at the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law Webinar Series, May 2020 (video and summary of the event available?here )

‘Wildlife Trade, Origins of COVID-19, and Preventing Future Pandemics’ , Oral testimony to the U.K. All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on International Conservation Virtual Caucus Hearing, June 2020 (video available?here )

‘Wildlife Trade, Origins of COVID-19, and Preventing Future Pandemics’ ,?Oral testimony to the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), Virtual Caucus Hearing, June 2020 (video available?here )

‘Nature is sending us a message: Biodiversity loss and wildlife trade as causes of pandemics’ ,?Remarks at the German Ministry for the Environment (BMU) International Event, June 2020 (video available?here )

'Giant Conversations: Preventing Wildlife and Wildlife Parts Reaching Consumer Markets ', Remarks at Space for Giants Panel Session (no written paper), June 2020 (video only)

‘International Dialogue on Wildlife Trade: China and the World’ ,?Remarks at the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) International Dialogue event, July 2020

‘Tackling the Conservation Crisis Triggered by COVID ’, Remarks at Africa Tomorrow event, July 2020 (video only)

‘Wildlife Trafficking and its Impacts on Animal and Human Health: Where Do We Go From Here?’ , Remarks at Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Virtual 2020 Annual Conference, September 2020

‘Filling the Gaps in International Wildlife Law - a Wildlife Crime Protocol under the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime’ , Remarks at virtual side event at the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNTOC (UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime), Vienna, October 2020

‘Stolen Wildlife - Closing the Gaps in the International Legal Framework’ , Remarks at MEPs Wildlife Group, Pro Wildlife and HIS Europe event, January 2021

‘Combatting Wildlife Crime & Reducing the Transmission of Zoonotic Diseases’ , Remarks at The Stimson Centre with ICCF Group event, January 2021

‘New Ways Forward for Addressing Wildlife Trafficking, Trade and Markets’ , Remarks at WWF US, Cornell University, Atkinson Centre for Sustainability event, February 2021

‘Illegal wildlife trade: Global impacts and responses’ , Remarks at Air Canada’s Virtual Forum: The Illegal Wildlife Trade in Canada's Transportation Industry, March 2021

‘The rationale for, & possible form & content of, a new global agreement on the illicit trafficking of wildlife’ , Remarks at virtual ancillary meeting to the 14th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Kyoto, Japan, March 2021

‘The interconnected nature of things – environment, economy & health ’, The Sustainable Economy Forum, Launched by Confindustria and the San Patrignano Foundation, April 2021

‘Whatever Will Sell They Will Take - Trafficking of Wildlife, Resources, Cultural Artifacts and Humans in Times of Conflict or Disruption’, ‘COVID-19, Emerging Infectious Diseases, and links to international wildlife laws and calls for their reform’ , American Bar Association, International Law Section, International Animal Law Committee, May 2021

‘The interconnected nature of things – environment, economy & health ’, Global Biodiversity Festival May 2021

‘Ending Wildlife Crime to Protect Animals, Human Health, and the Planet ’ Wilson Center, June 2021

Opeds, interviews and media articles

?‘Time to end the scourge of wildlife crime’ , The Independent, March 2020

?‘Conservation must not be a COVID victim’ , The Independent, May 2020

‘A Crucial Step Toward Preventing Wildlife-Related Pandemics’ ,?Scientific American Joint Op-Ed, June 2020

‘Confront illegal wildlife trafficking with international criminal laws, former global trade chief says’ , The Independent, June 2020

‘What is the impact of the coronavirus pandemic? Global experts answer the big questions’ , Financial Times interview, July 2020

‘Illegal wildlife trade, poaching, hunting and the role of tourism’ , World Tourism Forum Lucerne, August 2020 (video only)

‘Finance & the Illegal Trade in Wildlife’ , Finance for Biodiversity, February 2021

‘Hope to End Wildlife Crime’ , Hopecast (Podcast) with Dr. Jane Goodall, April 2021

‘Changing wildlife tourism can help prevent future pandemics’ , Travel Weekly, May 2021

Other articles

?‘Do we need a wildlife crime convention ?’ Article on personal LinkedIn page, February 2019

‘The tail does not wag the dog – the post 2020 biodiversity framework’ ,?Article on personal LinkedIn page, February 2019

‘To end wildlife crime global responses must move with the times’ , Article on personal LinkedIn page, March 2020

‘End Wildlife Crime Event ’ (House of Lords, London UK, UN World Wildlife Day), Article on personal LinkedIn page, March 2020

‘Connecting human and wildlife health key to stave off the next pandemic’ , Article on personal LinkedIn page, April 2020

‘A salute to the rangers of Garamba National Park, DRC’ , Article on personal LinkedIn page, April 2019

‘Connecting human and wildlife health key to stave off the next pandemic’ , Article on personal LinkedIn page, April 2020?

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[i] One of the authors of the Report suggests that the virus may have jumped from bats to animals in a?wildlife farm , which was supplying an animal market.

[ii] And just last year the UN IPBES released a?report ?telling us that an astonishing 1.7 million undiscovered viruses are thought to exist in wild animals, about half of which could spillover to people.

[iii] We know how to do this, and we have drafted a set of proposed amendments , which are available on-line.

[iv] UN World Wildlife Crime Report 2020 , Summary and Overview page 9.?