IBC webinar series: Zoonosis and ecosystem balance: A strategy to reduce the risk of future pandemics

This webinar was organized by UNEP and FAO, and it is part of a webinar series on environmental, climate change and resilience aspects of the response to and recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. It is organized by the Issue Based Coalition on Climate Change and Resilience for Latin America and the Caribbean (IBC), from the United Nations Organizations. The previous four webinars are available at: https://www.preventionweb.net/collections/ibc-lac-webinars   

The objectives of the webinar are: (i) To achieve a higher level of knowledge about the relationship between natural and human systems and zoonotic diseases; (ii) To increase the level of awareness about the importance of maintaining balanced the ecosystems; and (iii) To present strategies and recommendations for LAC countries to prevent, mitigate, and better respond to potential zoonotic diseases in the future. 

Summary of the webinar approach:  Deforestation, chiefly caused by the conversion of forest to agriculture and livestock areas, and the loss of biodiversity resulting from intensive farming, industrialization, mining and infrastructure development, as well as the exploitation of wild species (illegal trade), are bringing more people into contact and conflict with wild and domesticated animals, from which 70% of emerging human diseases are being originating (zoonosis).    
Combined with urbanization and the explosive growth of social and economic mobility, thus production chains (producer-client), future pandemics are likely to happen more frequently, spread more rapidly, have greater economic impact and kill more people. Simultaneously, the predominant economic model in the Latin American and Caribbean region, based on intensive use of natural resources (renewable and non-renewable) will continue causing damage to the environment, and induce more frequent health risks.  

In this context, it is critical that we understand the systemic nature of risk and the extent to which natural, human, political, economic and social systems interact, increasing the risks of zoonotic issues. COVID-19 outbreak is a clear example of such systemic disaster risk, which unleashes a ripple effect across sectors and leads to disruptions of global, national and local systems.  

For a better attention to the zoonoses threats, an institutionalized and systematized collaboration of several key actors will be required, such as: laboratories, agricultural producers, natural resources specialists, etc. The reduction of future risks will also depend on the adherence and follow-up of guidelines established at different multilateral agreements, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), as well as the achievement of an ambitious agreement at the COP15 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to ensure the establishment of safe human health standards and improve the management of human-wildlife interrelations.