WOAH
WWD 2021: "Forests and Livelihoods"
Read more
Colobus monkey. Naro Muro, Kenya. Picture (c) P. Bastiaensen (woah) 2025
Africa’s wildlife is a global treasure. The African continent is renowned for its diversity and richness of wildlife species. It is estimated that the continent is home to a quarter of the world’s mammal species, and a fifth of the world’s bird species, amongst other wild species. The vast diversity of wildlife is supported by a range of ecosystems, including the Savanna ecosystem, rainforests, wetlands and deserts. But beyond this breathtaking spectacle, the wildlife species play a crucial role in providing valuable resources, maintaining ecological balance, enhance sociocultural and economic value that supports the livelihoods of countless communities.
The World Wildlife Day (WWD) is commemorated every year on the 3rd of March, to draw attention to the critical role of wildlife to people and the planet. This year, the theme of the WWD is “Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet.” The theme calls on all stakeholders to consider innovative approaches to avail relevant funding and resources to conserve wildlife and natural ecosystems.
In Africa, conservation of the rich diversity of wildlife is threatened by multiple factors. The growth in human population has driven land-use changes resulting in an increase in infrastructural developments, which have in turn led to fragmentation and loss of wildlife habitats.
Unsustainable wildlife harvesting, including poaching, illicit wildlife trafficking, and trading, has had a devastating impact on species diversity and ecological balance. The effects of climate change exacerbate the vulnerability of wildlife and linked ecosystems. These conditions as highlighted, further escalate negative human-wildlife interactions, including human-wildlife conflicts, wildlife diseases and zoonoses.
Significant efforts have been made in Africa to protect and conserve wildlife. Most of these efforts are focused on wildlife habitat restoration and protection, community engagement and support, and wildlife conservation legislation and advocacy.
While these initiatives are commendable, wildlife health is often overlooked in essential discussions about wildlife conservation. Yet, animal diseases have the potential to decimate wildlife populations to extinction. Furthermore, disease transmission between wildlife and livestock, or between wildlife, livestock, and humans (i.e., zoonoses), often undermines the social acceptability of human co-existence with wildlife, therefore jeopardising wildlife conservation efforts.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) is an intergovernmental organization promoting global animal health, through provision of information and standards on animal health and welfare. WOAH has developed the Wildlife health framework, whose overall goal is to ‘protect wildlife health worldwide to achieve One Health’. The framework aims to promote assessment and management of potential disease risks from wildlife to prevent negative effects of diseases on wildlife populations, public health and livestock health, whilst preserving the ecosystems services provided by wildlife.
Animal health data collected through the World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS), paints a clear picture showing an unprecedented increase in infectious diseases in wildlife and zoonoses, posing a significant threat to both animal and human health. For instance, livestock diseases such as African swine fever (ASF) and high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) are increasingly occurring in wildlife species globally, posing a significant threat to biodiversity.
Furthermore, the data shows that incidence of HPAI is increasing across the Africa continent, as is the reappearance of endemic zoonoses, such as the recent anthrax outbreak, which affected a wide range of wildlife, cattle, and humans. Moreover, there have been growing outbreaks of viral zoonoses, such as Ebola, Marburg and Mpox, which have linked to wildlife.
On the other hand, the tourism industry has been negatively impacted by the unprecedented incidences of rabies in marine species such as Cape fur seals, and the endangered Africa Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) is seeing a decline in its fragile populations as a result of rabies and canine distemper from domestic dogs.
Despite its importance, wildlife health often falls through the cracks in conservation funding. The observations above, highlight how vital wildlife health management is. There is mutual interconnectedness and interdependence between Wildlife health and Wildlife Conservation. Yet, wildlife health is one the critical areas that suffers underfinancing.
Therefore, in reflecting on this year’s theme of the WWD, it is increasingly important to recognise the need for innovative financing options for wildlife health management, including surveillance, and preventive measures like vaccination, in accordance with WOAH International Standards for wildlife health. To support wildlife health management, innovative and sustainable financial solutions are required to secure skilled and well-resourced veterinary services.
Also, given the detrimental effects that zoonotic diseases can have on human health, funding wildlife health will directly benefit public health. WOAH, as part of the Quadripartite alliance, have published the One Health Joint Plan of Action, a global framework which underpins the “whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach” to securing the health of animals, people and ecosystems.
WOAH continues to invest in Wildlife Health in Africa, through projects such as the EBOSURSY and recently launched ZOOSURSY to promote One Health through interventions in wildlife surveillance, capacity building of veterinary services, and community engagement.
Adopting a One Health approach is also crucial in demonstrating that investments in wildlife and environmental conservation are linked to securing public health. For instance, community-based wildlife conservancies and wildlife conservation Transfrontiers (e.g. the KAZA TFCA) are common models of wildlife conservation in Africa, where local communities and their livestock share habitats with wildlife and participate in land-use decisions. Furthermore, in order to lower risks of zoonoses and other animal diseases to humans and livestock, it will be key to invest in education and advocacy efforts for these communities, on the benefits of protecting wildlife and natural habitats.
The ramifications of wildlife health on food chains, food security and economic livelihoods can also not be ignored. To safeguard safety in wildlife trade, WOAH recommends a risk-based approach to prevent spillover of diseases from wildlife due to trade and has published guidelines for addressing disease risks in wildlife trade. The WOAH international standards recommend that countries should report WOAH-listed diseases to foster transparency for international animal health and trade.
To demonstrate disease freedom and prevent trade restrictions, negative effects on national economies, and harm to human livelihoods, nations free of specific diseases must invest in surveillance to identify any new introduction of these infections in livestock and wildlife (where applicable). Such investments would also go a long way to achieving global goals for eradication and elimination of diseases such as Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), Rabies, and Bovine tuberculosis which are known to have wildlife reservoirs.
Finally, in light of the 2025 World Wildlife Day theme on Wildlife Conservation Finance, this article underscores the significance of investing in Wildlife Health management is a fundamental pillar of wildlife conservation.
Strong partnerships and collaborations are key to ensure innovative solutions to fund wildlife health in the context of surveillance, preventive measures and workforce. Investing in wildlife health will pay off in not only in wildlife conservation, but also healthy people and ecosystems, in line with the One Health approach.
