Reference Laboratory, Benin / Copyright: Michael Nagel, GIZ
Since the beginning of 2024, the International Alliance against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade has started four missions with its governmental consultation facility CONTACT. Based on the expression of interest by governmental bodies of Benin, Peru, Bolivia, and Guatemala, the Alliance’s partners have mobilized their experts to work on the needs identified by each country’s governmental representatives.
In Benin, the minister of health, Dr. Benjamin Hounkpatin, works closely with the Alliance’s partner Charité Berlin on the identification of novel pathogens in wildlife markets. With the support of the Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Bayreuth, the consortium of experts assesses wildlife and wildlife products to identify zoonotic pathogens and conducts social science analyses along the wildlife trade chain. Pathogen identification serves to establish a comprehensive overview of both unknown and known viruses including filoviruses, arenaviruses (such as Lassa), arboviruses, and Mpox. With these insights, the risk of zoonotic spillover affecting human as well as wildlife health in Benin and beyond can be assessed. The risk assessment will be communicated to the political authorities and the communities to establish tangible actions that contribute to lowering zoonotic spillover risks and foster the well-being of humans, animals, and ecosystems As the CONTACT missions take a holistic approach, the social science component of this endeavor includes an analysis of the underlying perceptions, worldviews, and beliefs of communities regarding the consumption of and interaction with wildlife. The integration of human beliefs that are foundational to the relationship between wildlife and humans will provide insights on how to integrate communities in actions that lower the risk of spillover more just and participatory.
Bushmeat, Benin / Copyright: Michael Nagel, GIZ
In Peru, Bolivia, and Guatemala, the Wildlife Conservation Society works on the development of policy recommendations to reduce health risks in wildlife trade. Experts from all countries collaborated to co-create a government consultation questionnaire for adaption and application across project countries to gather key background information on the status and needs concerning management of disease risks and wildlife trade in Peru, Bolivia, and Guatemala. Key multisectoral stakeholders with whom to conduct consultations were identified for each country. The survey covered three main topic areas: i) Trade characterization, legal and illegal; ii) Health perceptions, and iii) Gaps and opportunities for reducing risk. The consultative process was applied through online surveys or in-person interviews and workshops, as deemed most appropriate and effective to engage multiple stakeholders for each country.
Reports summarizing the consultation findings are being finalized for each country, with some key highlights of activities and findings noted below: Authorities in all countries recognized that health risks are a concern for both illegal and legal wildlife trade. Key challenges to addressing and reducing health risks from trade included limited awareness of risks by decision-makers, limited financial resources, legislative and regulatory gaps, lack of wildlife diagnostic facilities, and local cultural beliefs and practices. Additionally, the designation of responsibilities for authorities regarding wildlife health are still often unclear which hampers efforts to mitigate emerging health risks. The integration of indigenous and local communities as relevant stakeholders is key for sustainability of the interventions.
